


Green Stick

by tooyoungtobesostressed



Series: Sally and Percy Jackson [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abuse, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Child Percy, Gabe Ugliano Being an Asshole, Gen, Makeup, Percy Jackson POV, Pre-Camp Half-Blood, Protective Percy Jackson, Protective Sally Jackson, Sally Jackson POV, Sally Jackson is a Good Parent, Sally doesn't know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2020-12-04 02:16:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20948474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tooyoungtobesostressed/pseuds/tooyoungtobesostressed
Summary: Sally Jackson learned how to do makeup to protect her son. Little does she know, he is learning to do the same thing for her.





	1. Concealer, then Foundation

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ok wait but imagine that-](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/543358) by @percyjacksonsbluefood. 
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so- I'm still an idiot and don't know how to properly dedicate works, so there are now two (?) links referencing the Tumblr post I wrote this from and I believe the second one is the good one.

“Percy, honey, have you brushed your teeth?”

“mhm”

Sally hadn’t even heard him come in, and so jumped when she saw him gazing at her. She had been in deep thought while doing her make-up, sat crossed legged on the floor in front of a mirror leaning on the wall.

She had been thinking about him, her gorgeous little boy, now six years old. Every time she looked at him her chest warmed. He was all she had left, but he is her everything. Percy was such a fidgety kid and impossible to keep up with, but his laugh and his curiosity and the way he clung to her made her life worth living in a time when she didn’t have much of anything.

Her little boy saved her life.

Her little boy had also just been expelled from his school only three days ago.

Sally had known how hard any normal school would be for Percy when she chose this one. She also knew that there weren’t many schools for children with learning disabilities that would take her kid seriously and provide him with a proper education; none within her budget, anyway. Percy is a smart kid, she knows that, but he doesn’t learn well in a regular classroom, so she wasn’t surprised to receive a phone call from the school administration, telling her that her child may be better suited in another school. She was surprised, however, that Gabe got the call before her, as the school called their apartment as a secondary contact when she hadn’t picked up due to her work hours.

Gabe had been livid. It took days to soothe his fury, regarding the money, the trouble, and the space that her little boy wasn’t worth.

She hated him.

Nevertheless, she promised Gabe that she would work double her weekly hours in order to hopefully afford a private school that would suit Percy’s needs. But really, she had already been thinking about finding Percy a boarding school- to keep him as far from Gabe as possible.

Another possibility for Percy’s future tugged at her conscience, but she drowned it before she had to seriously consider it again.

“What’s that pen thing?” Percy asked.

He was lying on his stomach on her twin bed, chin resting on the back of his hands, gazing at her intently with his beautiful green eyes. His black hair was still damp from his bath, and was messy from being towel-dried.

He’d been showering by himself for a while now, but asked her today if he could have a bubble bath again, and if she could play water-battleships with him while he was in the tub. Sally suspected he still felt bad for being kicked out of school, so she let him take a bath - after turning the television up so Gabe wouldn’t hear how much water was running.

“It’s called concealer. I put it on just like this-” She dabbed the concealer under her eyes in hopes of calming the deep blue of her eyebags, then she smudged it in. “And it should make me look a little less tired.” She looked at the results in the mirror and sighed. Her eyebags had become a permanent part of her face as of the last three years.

She picked up her powder foundation and her brush.

“But you’re gonna cover it!”

Sally smiled. She truly wasn’t a makeup artist and only put on light makeup for work, but she found his questions endearing.

“Yes sweetie- look!” She started brushing the powder in. “It makes everything the same colour!”

Percy’s eyes widened, deep in thought. He winced at the movement for a moment, but ignored his pain. Sally had almost forgotten in the dull lighting of her room, but as Percy briefly shifted his neck, she saw the darkness around his left eye, still deep blue, from what she could tell.

She had been furious when she saw it three days ago.

She had come home from a shift to her boy running to hug her, staring up at her with a black eye. He assured her it had just been an accident, that another kid from his school accidentally kicked the soccer ball too high, and that it didn’t hurt too much. She was on her way to the phone to call the school and file an incident report, hoping to find the kid’s mother while Percy begged her to forget about it, when her mobile rang.

She heard heavy footsteps and turned around to find Gabe in the doorway of the kitchen, in which she stood, holding the back of Percy’s neck. He looked dangerously angry. She picked up her phone tentatively, and that was when she was informed that Percy had been expelled.

Gabe told her he’d gotten the call when Percy was sent home early from school; that he’d already taught her kid a thing or two while they were waiting for her to come home. Sally wanted to slap out the glint in that monster’s eye. He better not have yelled at her boy.

She looked at Percy, who looked guilty and scared, his shoulders tense under Gabe’s hold. She frowned. Percy hated Gabe. He usually wouldn’t allow Gabe to touch him at all, never mind hold him by his neck.

“Percy, honey, I’ll meet you in your room in a bit. Try and get ahead on those reading exercises we’ve been doing, okay?”

Percy shrunk away, padding away to his room.

Sally turned her attention to Gabe. “We had a deal.” She growled. “Any anger you have, you take out on me, you understand? You yell at him, or even touch him, and I’ll have you locked up.”

Gabe smiled maliciously. “Don’t worry, there was no yelling involved.”

Sally narrowed her eyes, then turned to make her way to Percy's room. “You better be starting those double shifts soon,” Gabe yelled after her. “None of my money is going into getting that punk through school.”

Sally shuddered at the memory. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could take living with that man.

She jumped when Percy started talking again, so lost was she in her mind. “What if it can’t make everything the same colour?” He asked. Sally had to remind herself he was taking about the foundation and the concealer.

“Well then, my little artist, you use this!” She took out her frequently used green stick and drew a line on his nose. He giggled and looked down at it, crossed eyed, trying to wipe it off.

“But mom, it’s green! You can’t use that!”

Sally smiled. “Watch and learn, young padawan.” She used the green stick on her eyebags and then reapplied the concealer and foundation. She usually tried to save the green stick for shifts after Gabe got really angry, but she couldn’t resist showing Percy, who was staring at the change in amazement.

She smiled at him through the mirror. The green stick worked wonders. It made her look younger and less tired- the rest of the work was in her posture. She had to get more of it.

“Cool…” Percy muttered, deep in thought once more, while Sally wiped her hands.

She combed his hair with her fingers. “Come on Percy, let’s get you to bed.”

Percy hopped off her bed and padded to his room, Sally close behind. He was tired. Too tired to protest at her for putting cream around his injured eye, too tired to ask her to read Greek stories to him; but not too tired to hug her goodnight. She kissed him on his forehead and tucked him in, turning on his blue nightlight before leaving for work.

Before she could close the door (he insisted she close it,) she heard a small, “I love you mom.”

Her heart fluttered. _I’m so lucky_.

“I love you too, my little hero.”


	2. Fire Escape

Percy ran away from the mean admin lady, tears stinging his eyes. He could hear her yell after him, but she gave up soon enough. He wasn’t their responsibility anymore.

Percy knew he should’ve waited for someone to pick him up; Mom said he wasn’t allowed to walk home alone. He just didn’t want to bother her. And he was embarrassed.

He wiped his tears with his sleeve. He knew the walk home, and started off on muscle memory, deep in thought. He tried to avoid public places and the police, not wanting them to ask him why he was alone and call his mom.

His heart felt heavy, a film of guilt covered him. He had never been expelled before. He was in so much trouble. His hands were sweating, and he felt really fidgety- _is mom gonna be mad?_

Percy crossed another road, looking left and right an extra time because he was walking alone.

He kept wondering what he had done wrong. Percy knew he got distracted easily, and couldn’t spell that well, and couldn’t read as fast, and couldn’t sit still-

His face flushed. Maybe he did know what he had done wrong. He wasn’t good enough for the school.

Percy walked up the stairs of his apartment building until he reached his floor. He knocked on his front door, glad to see his mom again.

The door swung open. “Got kicked out of school, huh? Too stupid for an education?”

He looked up. The ugly, fat, smelly man that stood in front of him, sneering down at Percy, was not his mom. He was not anyone Percy wanted to see right now.

“Gabe.” Percy murmured. “Where’s mom?”

Smelly Gabe snarled. “Your mom’s working. Like she always is, trying to keep your lazy, stupid ass alive.”

Percy immediately felt guilty. He forgot his mom was working. He knew how much his mom worked and didn’t want to make anything harder for her. He had tried _so _hard to get his grades up.

“’m not stupid” he mumbled.

Tears tugged at his eyes again. Percy didn’t want Smelly Gabe to make fun of him. He tried to get past him, but Smelly Gabe wouldn’t stop blocking his way.

Percy looked up; eyebrows furrowed. “Can I please come in?”

Smelly Gabe laughed. His breath smelled so bad. “What makes you think you deserve to live here, punk?”

Percy sniffed and pushed his way in, and Smelly Gabe let him. He ran to his room, taking his backpack off, eager to go off and hide until his mom came home.

A rough hand on his arm held him back. He looked at the hand, then up at Smelly Gabe, looking scary angry.

“Not so fast.”

Percy tried to shake the hand off, but Smelly Gabe tightened his grip. “Ow! Let me go to my ro-!”

He was pulled back harshly, his backpack sliding to the couch. He tripped over himself and fell backwards, landing on his tailbone. Percy gasped.

“You don’t get to say what happens around here, _punk_.”

Percy looked up at Gabe, scared. His back hurt; he just wanted his mom. “Mo-” he sniffed, “Mom’s gonna-”

“Mommy isn’t here. Mommy can’t protect _precious Percy_.”

Gabe pulled on Percy’s hair. Percy yelped and was forced to stand up to stop it getting worse. Gabe turned him around, so they were face to face, and grabbed his chin, pulling Percy close to him. Percy couldn’t stand his smelly breath. “And if you tell her about this,” Percy glared at him, but Gabe held him tight, “if she hears one word out of you, she’s gonna get it _so bad._” Gabe smiled in Percy’s face.

Percy’s heart stopped. He didn’t want mom to hurt. He hated even seeing her cry. He felt a surge of anger fill him as he grit his teeth- unsure of what to do.

Gabe took it as an act of defiance. “You hearing me, kid?” He shook Percy’s chin violently. “You getting me?”

“Yeah!” Percy winced in pain, trying to regain control of his neck. “Fine. Just don’t hurt mom!”

Gabe smiled. “Got the Jacksons all figured out, don’t I?” He muttered to himself. “Good boy.” He let Percy’s chin go, and gave him two patronizing taps on his cheek. “We’ll call this… uh- our little guy secret, eh?”

Percy’s eyes welled with tears. Everything hurt. He had to get away.

Gabe gave him a disgusted look when he saw his tears. “Weakling,” he taunted.

Percy whimpered when he saw Gabe draw back his hand. He drew in his breath. The force of the backhand threw Percy to the ground again, the sound silenced the apartment.

Percy’s vision flashed white; pain exploded in his left eye. He reached for it, and inhaled sharply when he tried to touch it. Tears fell down his cheeks, their heat making his eye throb.

He heard Gabe scoff and walk into the living room. The couch springs squeaked as he sat down. A chip bag crinkled.

Fury boiled in Percy’s stomach. He hated Smelly Gabe. He _hated_ him. He felt an odd tugging in his gut. A powerful sensation filled his body.

_He’s gonna hurt mom._

Percy’s shoulders slumped. The tugging sensation left him.

He had to put up with it. For his mom.

Gingerly, he got up and made his way to his room silently, skirting around the couch.

Closing the door quietly, Percy turned to his room and started crying. He hurt so bad. He missed mom. He looked at his bed and saw his mom had left her hoodie on it this morning. He quickly grabbed it and put it on, wincing as his back throbbed in pain. Then, he took his Nemo stuffy from his toy box and climbed out the window onto the fire escape.

He knew that if anyone from his old school saw him with a stuffy, they would laugh at how much of a baby he is, so he held Nemo tightly in his arms. Percy cried into Nemo, he talked to Nemo, he pretended Nemo could hear what he was saying and would send him help.

Then he told Nemo he didn’t want any help. That Gabe would hurt his mom if Nemo sent him any help.

Percy cried harder and harder, until he fell asleep, slumped over his stuffy.

-

A really pretty laugh woke him up. Percy perked up, awake immediately. He could hear his mom speaking to a neighbour in front of their building.

_Mom!_

Percy shot up, wincing. He climbed back into his room as fast as his back let him, wiping the tear streaks from his face. He whimpered when he accidentally touched his left eye, now much more tender, but he didn’t care.

He put Nemo back in his box and carefully took mom’s hoodie off, putting it back on his bed where it was. He ran out of his room as he heard the front door unlock.

“Mom!” He barely saw her, but quickly ran to hug her tightly.

“Hey, honey!” She laughed again. Percy loved her laugh. She smelled like candy and she was so warm.

He smiled up at her. “I missed you mom.”

“I missed you too hon- Percy, what happened to your eye?” Her voice changed. Percy hated that he put another frown on her face. He hadn’t realized his eye would make a mark.

“Oh, mom, uh- it’s nothing. I was, uh, playing soccer with Benny and he accidentally kicked the ball too high,” he tried not to sound like he was lying. Everything was unusually quiet behind him and he could feel Gabe listening in on their conversation- checking up on him. “It didn’t hurt though, mom. I’m fine.”

“Didn’t hurt?” Mom was angry. “Percy, look at your eye- you have a black eye!” She walked to the kitchen. “When did this happen? I am calling this boy’s mom.”

“No, mom, please don’t! It was an accident, I swear- he really didn’t mean to!”

Mom’s phone rang. Percy heard Gabe get up and walk to the kitchen with his fat feet. He forced himself not to react when Gabe put a heavy hand on his neck. Mom picked up the phone.

“Hello? Principle Gage?”

Percy’s shoulders slumped. He’d forgotten he’d been expelled.

“Yes- yes. What do you mean?” Mom looked worried. “Why?” She almost yelled. “That’s no reason to-” Percy felt Gabe hand tighten around his neck. His mom looked angry now. “I had been under the impression that- well that’s what I was told! This is unacceptable, you can’t- hello…?”

Mom got off the phone. She looked shocked. Percy lowered his head.

“They called the place three hours ago, telling me he was coming home early.” Gabe piped up. His hand tightened even more. Percy’s face flushed. “I’ve already taught the kid a thing or two in that time- eh?”

Percy kept looking at his feet.

“Percy, honey,” Percy couldn’t make himself look at her. “I’ll meet you in your room in a bit. Try and get ahead on those reading exercises we’ve been doing, okay?”

Percy went to his room. He sat on his bed, drowning out what they were talking about, hoping they weren’t taking about how hard he was to keep around. He knew Gabe thought that.

Soon, he heard his mom’s footsteps come to his room. He sat up.

“Percy?”

His mom came in, holding an icepack covered in a towel. She sat on his bed, her smell and warmth filling the room again. She smiled at him. “Come here, honey.”

Percy started crying, melting into his mom’s lap. She positioned his head onto her thigh, so she could keep the icepack on his eye. He tried not to flinch when she did.

“I’m sorry mom,” he hiccupped. “I tried to, but-”

“It’s okay baby. It’s alright.” She stroked his hair and positioned them so she could get the duvet over them. Warmth surrounded Percy. He felt safe.

“Everything’s going to be aright.”


	3. Football

Percy woke up immediately to turn off his alarm.

It was early in the morning, earlier than he usually got up, and he didn’t want to wake Mom and Gabe. His mom always worked late into the night, and he wanted her to get as much sleep as she could. He had convinced her, last year, that he was old enough to walk to school alone now, so she wouldn’t have to get up. And Gabe- well he wanted Gabe to sleep forever, if that meant avoiding him.

Slowly, he swung his legs over his bed and stood up. He was painfully sore. Gabe had lost almost $500.00 to his poker games yesterday, and Percy had come home at just the wrong moment.

He walked over to his old toy box, which he told his mom he kept because of nostalgia. He fished through the box and accidentally caught hold of his old Nemo toy, dirty and slightly deformed. He stared at it for a bit.

Five years ago, this all started. Since then, Percy’s life had been one injury after another; one blow up, one lie after another. He kept staring at the toy. He remembered when he’d fallen asleep in his mom’s lap that first night, how he’d hoped it had just been a bad nightmare.

From the bottom of his toy box he grabbed a hidden black pencil case. It was heavy with material- Percy hugged it close to his side. His feet carried themselves to the bathroom; his ribs, his shoulder blade, his hip, everything on his left side that had become familiar with Gabe’s boot, hurt. The pain made it difficult to walk smoothly. He tried his best to control his footing.

Reaching the sink, Percy put the pencil case down and looked in the mirror, lifting his chin for a better look.

His neck was covered in the faint outline of fingers, reaching from under one ear to the other. The indents were mostly a faint shade of purple, but his throat and the areas of his neck where thumbs and fingertips came in contact were an angry red.

He stared into the mirror for a while, not meeting his own eyes. Then he brushed his teeth.

The marks would be hard to cover, but Percy knew what he had to do. He opened the pencil case and pulled a clear tube from the bottom. He applied the gel onto his neck softly, trying to ignore how tender it was. Concealer came next, the most painful part. The cheapest concealers he could find came in form of a stick, and as Percy drew it onto the darkest spots of his neck, he flinched. Then, he had to rub it in. He took out some green and yellow colour correcting powder, and padded it onto his red and purple bruises, before covering the whole area with translucent powder. He followed that up with more concealer, and finally, a smooth layer of powder foundation- liquid foundation made his skin look too smooth.

He looked at his neck and swallowed painfully. _Good as new_.

He finished up in the bathroom and took the pencil case back to his room, back to his old toy box. His battered backpack lay at the foot of his bed and he picked it up, swinging it over his right shoulder.

As he walked to the front door he thought about getting breakfast, but didn’t trust himself to swallow anything.

“Percy?”

Percy swung around, taking his hand off the doorknob. He’d thought everyone else was asleep.

“Mom- why are you awake?”

She stood in her old robe. Her hair was a curly mess, her eyes were still opening. She looked tired, and there were grey streaks in her hair, but she smiled at Percy through her exhaustion. She was still the most beautiful person in the world.

“I didn’t get to see you last night- I wanted to see you off to school.”

Percy’s heart melted. He had gone to bed early, even though he knew his mom would be off work earlier than usual. He had wanted to stay up and talk to her, but Gabe had other plans, so Percy found himself hiding in bed when she came home.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Was tired.”

She walked over to him. “Oh, I know honey! I don’t mind. I’m just glad to see you now.”

She hugged him tightly and he forced himself not to gasp at the pain. He returned the hug, letting his head fall on her shoulder. “Me too, mom. I love you.”

“Love you too, Percy.”

She smiled warmly at him again as he left the apartment. He had been glad to see her before he left; even though it made his ribs ache.

-

The bell rang its high pitched shrill, and Percy jumped for the umpteenth time. He was still not fully used to his new school- it was weird. It was connected to a middle school, which operated on the other side of the same building. It also had different teachers for each subjects, which Percy found weird, but assumed was the middle school's influence. He wasn't used to it, but nevertheless hoped grade five would go smoothly; he did not want to get expelled for a fifth time. Admittedly though, he hadn’t minded leaving his fourth-grade school- the kids there all thought he was a liar after that incident when he was stalked on the playground by a one-eyed man followed him from his third-grade school.

He was three weeks into his classes now, and mostly kept out of everyone’s way. Everyone probably thought he was weird. Or stupid. Or both.

His first class was gym which he usually didn’t mind, but today he wasn’t sure he’d be able to take it. He deliberated acting ill, but shook the idea out of his mind. No school nurses.

Rushing to the boy’s changing room, he wondered how much time he had left to change until-

The second bell rang, he was late.

Luckily, this meant no one was in the locker room when he burst in, so he was able to change in peace.

After the painful experience of rushing into his gym clothes, he sped to the gym, pulling his collar away from his neck to keep the foundation off it.

There was no one there.

Percy’s heart skipped a beat. _Maybe I had English first? Did I get the day wrong? I could’ve sworn it was Monday…_

“Jackson!”

Percy swung around at his name. Mr. Orian walked through the gym doors, smirking at him. “Trying to get out of gym today, are we?”

Percy relaxed.

“Anything to avoid you, Mr. O.”

Orian laughed. “Fair enough. Want to help me bring out the balls?”

Percy followed him into the equipment room.

Mr. Orian was Percy’s favourite teacher so far. He was Percy’s gym and English teacher, and Percy felt comfortable around him. He was a younger than the other teachers, with short, light brown hair, and soft brown eyes. Percy usually felt fidgety around people who were taller than him and more muscular, but Mr. Orian felt safe and warm.

“What are we doing today?” Percy asked, keeping the door open for Mr. O.

Percy’s instincts caught the football before he realized it was hurtling towards him. “Nice catch!” Mr. O slung two heavy looking bags over his shoulders. “Football.”

Percy groaned. _This is going to kill._

He hesitantly took one of the bags Mr. O was handing to him. He hung it over his right shoulder, but the strain from the heavy object was agonizing for his left side.

Mr. O raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey- what’s wrong with football?”

Percy smirked at him through gritted teeth. Football was Mr. O’s favourite sport; Percy was more of a basketball guy himself. “It’s a jock’s sport.”

Mr. O scoffed for a moment, then settled for a resigned look on his face. “That’s probably very true. But I’m still choosing it as sport of the week.”

They walked out of the gym and through the languages hallway, which led to the football field.

“Percy, you’ve said something about liking swimming before, right?”

Percy hummed. “When I was younger, yeah.”

“Were you any good?” Mr. Orian sounded like he wasn’t trying to pry. Percy looked up at him, suspicious.

“I was pretty okay. Why?”

Mr. O opened the door for Percy, looking ahead at the field to make sure no one was causing any trouble. “I know you’re not on the swim team-”

“I’m probably not good enough-”

“But as of yesterday, our school has been picked to be scouted.”

Percy frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Scholarships, Percy. Scholarships that could easily get you right through college.”

They stopped, and put the ball bags down by the rest of the equipment. Mr. O called out for everyone to circle around the equipment.

Percy was turning the thought of a scholarship over his head. He wanted to go to college, that was for sure. He needed to get him and his mom out of their situation- but he wasn’t sure he could gather the money to get himself through. A scholarship sounded like a good idea, but he was also afraid of the vulnerability of the sport- he wasn’t sure how he could hide the marks on his body without a shirt.

“When are the tryouts for this year?” He muttered to Mr. O.

His teacher smiled, looking out at the field, still waiting for some stragglers. “Tomorrow, right after school.”

Percy’s heart sank. He knew he couldn’t go. There was no way his ribs, hip, and shoulder blade would heal until then. But he also didn’t want to let his favourite teacher down. “I’ll think about it,” he mumbled.

“Good!” Mr. O clapped his back. Percy bit the inside of his check. “Because I already signed you up. You’d have to forfeit if you don’t show up.”

Percy’s eyes widened. Before he could protest, Mr. O started the class. “Welcome to our week of football, everyone!” He clasped his hands together in excitement. “The best sport ever created. Today, we are learning all about tackling- who wants to volunteer?”

An overeager, brute of a boy raised his hand. “Mr. O, can I?”

“Of course, Dom, come on over. You will be showing the class how to tackle today.”

Domo smiled, his thick chest swelling with pride.

Mr. O paused. “Any volunteers for being tackled? I promise you’ll get extra points!”

The class fell silent. Percy was still looking at the grass by the ball bags. _How am I going to get out of this?_

“Percy!”

Percy whipped around, making the muscles in his neck scream. The class was staring intently at him; Mr. O waved him forward. “Our latecomer!” The class giggled. “Want to earn back the points you lost?” Percy knew he really didn’t want to do that. “You will be helping Dom show the class how to tackle safely.”

Percy looked at Dom, who was unnaturally large for an eleven-year-old. The boy was smiling good-naturedly at him, but Percy couldn’t bring himself to return the gesture.

_I have the worst luck in the whole world._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to give this video a thumbs UP and leave a comment in the comment section down below. Again, if you want to know every time I post a video, just click on the little bell and it’ll give you a notification when I do. Have an amazing day and- don’t forGET to subscrIBE!


	4. Water

His walk home was excruciating, physically and mentally.

His body ached during that whole day, and his steps were uneven. Every step he took flushed his body with pain, which earned him weird looks from people in the hallways.

His mind was trying to shake off the horrific memory of crying during gym class. After the tackling demonstrations, which had already been painful enough, The class had been split up into pairs, to go over the techniques. After being shoved on the ground repeatedly, the sixth tackle squeezed tears out of his eyes.

His partner, a scrawny kid called Arjun who Percy had run to in order to get away from Dom, stopped immediately. “Hey, are you okay?” When Percy didn’t answer, just put an arm over his eyes and lay there, catching his breath, Arjun ran to Mr. O.

“Jackson, what did you do now?” Percy heard Mr. Orian yell jokingly a minute later, making his way towards him.

Percy didn’t move, relishing in just lying on the grass.

“Percy?” He felt Mr. O gently touch his shoulder. The laughing and tackling around them stopped. The kids formed a curious circle around the scene. Percy could imagine what they were all thinking.

_Can he do anything right? _

_He’s so weird._

_Why does he always need special attention?_

Percy slowly took his arm away from his face when Mr. O called his name again, sliding it across his eyes as he did so.

“Did I hurt him?” Arjun anxiously whispered to Mr. O.

“Percy, are you hurt?”

Percy looked at Mr. O and the kids around him. He cringed at their worried faces. “Fine,” he croaked. His ribs were on fire. He almost felt sick from the pain and didn’t know if he’d be able to stand up. He didn’t want to test that theory in front of the class, though. _No nurses_. “Just…” He grimaced, looking for a reason he would’ve cried. “Really hungry.”

The kids around him giggled, and the circle slowly dispersed. Mr. O looked at him, still concerned. “Are you sure you’re not hurt? When was the last time you ate?”

Percy propped himself awkwardly on his right arm. “Yesterday, I think. I completely forgot to have breakfast.”

They heard the bell ring inside the school. Mr. O looked up at the kids who were already walking to the edge of the field. “Head in, everyone! Get yourselves changed before your second class. Dom! Would you be able to bring the equipment in for me? Take two friends with you.”

Mr. O turned his attention to Percy again and gave him a disapproving look. “Most important meal of the day bud.” He held out his hand. “Look what happens when you don’t eat in the morning.”

Percy gave him a bright smile. He knew being pulled up would hurt like hell, but he took his teacher’s hand anyway. “Yeah Mr. O, I know,” Percy smirked at his teacher. “It did get me out of football though.”

Mr. O laughed again. “Not for long. This was just day one.” He hauled Percy to his feet, giving him a once over. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw Percy wince as he got up. Percy cursed himself. “Are you sure you’re okay, Percy? Just the hunger?”

“Yeah,” he gave his teacher the most earnest look he could muster, which seemed to reassure the older guy. “Just gonna go grab some food before the next class.”

-

He shook the memory out of his head. _Don’t think about it, stop thinking about it._

Taking out his key from his bag, Percy let himself in quietly, hoping to avoid, well- everyone. His mom wouldn’t be home until later, but Percy wasn’t sure if Gabe would have his friends over again after his big loss.

He heard the laughter and the music first. Then, the smell hit him.

Gabe did have his friends over, and the smell of their gas, their beer, and their smoke made Percy gag. He could just see one of them, a bull-faced man whose name he hadn’t bothered to ask. The group was surrounding a circular table, partially in the living room, partially hidden in the kitchen.

Percy shut the door slowly, trying to get to his room without being noticed.

“Gabe!” Percy heard one of them cough violently. “The kid’s back. He’s walking like a cripple again!”

Percy froze. He heard the sounds of a chair scraping the floor.

“Gabe,” Percy heard Eddie sigh. Eddie was in the kitchen so Percy couldn’t see him, but his voice had gotten him out of many painful situations. He could recognize that rough voice anywhere. “Leave it. It’s you turn.”

Percy closed his eyes, hoping that would stop Gabe. After a pause, the footsteps came closer.

Gabe walked into the living room, observing Percy.

“Why are you limping?”

The question should’ve been sincere, but Gabe had an ugly sneer on his face.

“We did football in gym.” Percy mumbled. He started off towards his room again, hoping Gabe would just lose interest.

“We’re not done, punk,” Gabe snarled.

Percy closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. He wanted to yell at Gabe to leave him alone, that he’d already done enough damage, but he turned back around, fidgeting.

“Did anyone ask?”

“About what.” It wasn’t a question. He wanted Gabe to have to say it.

“About the limp, stupid.”

Percy reacted too slow. He was thinking about how concerned Mr. O had been. “No. No one.”

Gabe raised his eyebrows, fury in his eyes. “Who? A teacher?”

Percy took a step back, but Gabe followed, towering over the young boy. Percy’s hands started sweating again. He had swim tryouts tomorrow.

“Yeah, but I got him off my back. I swear. He doesn’t think-”

“I thought we agreed,” Gabe stepped closer and put his large hand on the side of Percy’s neck; it was still tender. Percy hated how almost intimate the gesture felt. Only he and Gabe knew about their “guy thing”, only they knew why that touch would hurt. Percy looked at the ground by Gabe’s feet. “You’d be more careful with the teachers. Didn’t we?” Gabe squeezed his neck slightly, making Percy breathe heavy, trying to slow his heart rate. He knew his pulse was giving him away.

“I- I know, I sw-” Gabe squeezed his hand, and Percy couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped his mouth. He shut his eyes. “Please don’t.”

“Do we need to have this conversation again?”

“N-No, I prom-”

“Gabe!”

The pair turned to look to the living room, where the call had come from. It was Eddie. Percy was glad to see him. He was shorter and less strong than Gabe, so he couldn’t do much, but he always managed to distract Gabe from Percy.

“Jack’s lookin’ at your cards again.”

Gabe’s handle on Percy slacked, he wiggled out and stumbled to his room.

“Did not!”

“Jack, I swear, you better not have, or I will throw you out the window on your ugly ass car.”

“Hey! It ain’t ugly!”

Percy shut his door quickly, throwing his backpack as hard as he could into the corner of the room. He hated how useless, how _weak_ he was. Hot tears escaped his eyes. _Stupid_.

He walked into the bathroom, locking all three doors that led into it. Taking his shirt off, he tried to see if there was any way of hiding the damage tomorrow, at the swim tryouts. But when he saw the state of his body, he just stared at it.

He could see exactly where his ribs were. Percy hadn’t imagined the bruise to be that shape, but within the red and purple bruising were dark red outlines of his ribs.

_It looks so bad._

His hip was in better shape. The area it had been kicked on was only flushed red and could easily be hidden. He assumed something was busted inside, though, because it spiked with pain every time he put pressure on it. He turned to see his shoulder blade but couldn’t see it in the mirror- he couldn’t move his neck too much without sending waves of pain into his skull and his chest.

His heart felt numb with disappointment. Somehow, stupidly, he had really wanted to go to the tryouts. Percy loved swimming; he was really good at it. He really wanted to get him and his mom somewhere safer. He had to. But without this, without the scholarship, Percy didn’t know how.

Using makeup remover, Percy cleaned his neck. The makeup had stayed on well enough during the day, but Percy was scared of it rubbing and coming off, especially on collars. He thought about getting waterproof makeup.

After taking off the rest of his clothes, he stepped into the old tub. He tried to shower with hotter water because he’s heard somewhere it would help his muscles relax.

The water instantly soothed him. It always managed to clear his head, to relax him. But this time, there was too much on his mind. He tried not to think about what would happen tomorrow. If he went to the tryouts, or if he didn’t.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. The two outcomes kept rolling around in his head, fighting each other, taunting him. If he went, he’d be exposed; but he’d have a way out. If he didn’t go, he’d have to forfeit- which meant picking up garbage after school, and Gabe would assume he’s staying away from home; which he loathed because it looked suspicious.

Percy leant his head against the cracked tile. There was no way out. He was stuck here. His mom was stuck. _It’s not fair. What am I supposed to do? _

There was not much _to_ do. If he went to the tryouts, his mom could get hurt. If he didn’t, he would get hurt. Percy knew which choice he’d rather make.

Percy didn’t notice the temperature change in the water. _Someone help me. Tell me what to do. _He felt so useless; so weak. He thought about his dad and was ashamed to realize he wanted his deadbeat dad to save them. The cool water enveloped him, surrounded his body in an odd way. Unknowingly, Percy released a sigh of relief.

There was an aggressive knock on the door. Percy rushed to turn the water off. “Stop wasting my water, punk!”

Percy flipped Gabe off behind closed doors. It was mean and bad, but it felt _good_.

He grabbed a towel and started drying himself. While he walked past it, Percy couldn’t help but glance at the foggy mirror. He unlocked the door to his room and-

Wait. _What?_

He returned to the mirror, wiped the condensation off, and studied himself.

Everything looked normal.

_Where are all the bruises?_

He touched his ribs, his hip, his neck. Everything was and felt completely normal. Nothing hurt, nothing was tender. Hell, Percy felt like he could run a marathon, he felt so strong.

His eyebrows furrowed. _That was one heck of a shower._

Slowly he walked into his room, prodding his ribs. Was he dreaming? Did he not see it right? He walked back into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Still no bruises. _How long was I in there for?_

Percy walked back into his room and put on his pajamas. With Gabe and his friends around, he wouldn’t be having dinner tonight; but Percy didn’t care. He felt amazing, for the first time in so long. He didn’t feel weak and useless, he didn’t feel scared. He felt good, like he could, like he could-

He smiled brightly. Excitement boiled in his chest.

Like he could try out for the swim team tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to give this video a thumbs UP and leave a comment in the comment section down below. Again, if you want to know every time I post a video, just click on the little bell and it’ll give you a notification when I do. Have an amazing day and- don’t forGET to subscrIBE!


	5. Walk to School

Percy woke up feeling amazing. His body felt well rested, his muscles felt strong. He turned off his alarm, rubbed his eyes, and jumped off his bed, smiling.

That is, until he smelt bacon. His heart pounded as he shot up to get ready for school.

No one should be awake earlier than him. He shouldn’t be hearing footsteps and mumbling outside his door, and he definitely shouldn’t be smelling bacon. It could only mean one thing.

Percy quietly stepped out of his room with his backpack, tense and slow. His hands were already sweaty, which he hated; he wiped them on his jeans.

He tried to walk to the front door unnoticed. “These aren’t the ones I like.” Percy heard Gabe complain.

Gabe was some kind of manager at an electronics store about twenty minutes away from their apartment. He never went in to work, unless it was to pick up his paycheque. He had managed to bully everyone he worked with into making that possible, although Percy didn’t know how. He didn’t know how Gabe could possibly get away with never being in the store, especially since he didn’t actually own it.

Either way, Gabe always managed to skirt work. If he was up this early, that meant he was going into work today. If he was going into work this early, it meant he wasn’t going to pick up a paycheque- he usually did that hours before the store closed- it meant he had to go in to work. Which also meant he probably lost a lot of money to the game him and his buddies were playing yesterday.

Gabe would be in a really _bad_ mood if that were true.

Percy jumped when he heard a fist smack the table, rattling everything around it. “Did you hear me, woman?”

Percy clenched his fists. He realized Gabe had woken his mom up early to make him breakfast. She must be exhausted, and he had the nerve to complain about it?

“Hey!” Percy stomped through the living room, into the kitchen. “Don’t talk to my mom like that.”

The scene before him made Percy grit his teeth. Gabe was in his grey work shirt, sat at the round table, eating, being served, and hurling insults at his mom. His mom, dressed in a plain shirt and jeans, was standing by the stove, making bacon, scrambled eggs, and baked beans all at once, while filling up Gabe’s coffee when it was empty. _She’s not your slave._

The two adults stopped, and looked at the young boy at the kitchen door. His mom was stiff, eyes wide and almost pleading at Percy. Gabe, with a raised eyebrow, looked at Percy as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard the boy right.

“Morning Perc-”

“What did you just say to me?” Gabe spat. “Punk?”

Percy’s hands quivered. “Make your own breakfast. Mom’s tired. I’m sure you’re an expert on food, considering how much you eat.”

Gabe got up violently, shaking the table. Percy jumped as the large man’s chair hit the floor. “Come here you little shit” he said calmly, with a deadly amount of certainty.

Percy’s knees shook. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mom turn off the stove and quietly open the knife drawer next to her.

“I said come here!” Gabe yelled. He lunged forward, tripping over his fallen chair.

His mom called Percy’s name and ran towards him, whisking him out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Percy fumbled with the doorknob and opened it, hearing noises behind him. He felt his mom push him through. She followed him out, and before closing the door, she turned around, grabbed her satchel, and growled: “don’t touch my son.”

She shut the door loudly.

They paused outside their door, looking at each other in a strange way; in a way neither of them knew the other understood, and rushed down the flights of stairs. When they reached the bottom, Percy turned to his mom and hugged her, taking her in. He felt her stroking his hair and found himself trembling. As soon as he noticed, he stopped. “I hate when he talks to you like that,” he mumbled into her shirt.

“Me too, honey,” he heard her say.

Percy paused for a moment, then: “that was a bit scary, mom.”

His mom just hugged him tighter. “Trust me, Percy. That horrible man will never hurt you.”

He wondered why she was so sure.

His mom stirred, and Percy pulled away from the hug. She crouched down and held him at arms length, looking deep into his eyes. “He hasn’t, has he?”

Percy shook his head immediately, Gabe’s voice ringing through his head. _If she hears one word out of you… _His mom was still looking into him; she always saw right through Percy. He wondered how he would convince her… “I promise I’ll tell you if he does, mom.”

She smiled at him, standing up again. “Damn right,” Percy gawked- his mom never swore. “There’ll be hell to pay if he does.”

Percy snickered, but his neck tingled at the distant memory of pain.

“Here,” she reached into her satchel, “eat.” She brought out a sandwich in a plastic baggie and a banana.

Percy’s eyes lit up. He’d forgotten how hungry he was. “Thanks mom!” He quickly took the sandwich, which he found out to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and took a big bite as they started walking to the street.

His mom ruffled his hair. “I have your lunch too, but I’ll give it to you once we’re at school.”

Percy gaped at his mom; his mouth full of sandwich. “You’re walking me to school?”

She chuckled and tapped his chin to remind him to close his mouth. “Was up early today- I wouldn’t miss the chance to get some time with my boy,” she smiled at him. His mom used to walk him to school all the time, and she always knew his route, no matter how much it changed.

Percy beamed. He didn’t care if anyone from school saw his mom walk him to school. He looked at her again and realized how much he’d missed her. “But, aren’t you tired?”

His mom shrugged. “I guess you’ll just have to keep me awake, honey.”

Percy was still looking at her, now confused. “How?” She smiled and poked his sides, making him laugh and squirm.

“By telling me all about your week, Mr. Mysterious! I haven’t heard anything from you!”

The two of them blabbered to each other about their weeks. Percy told his mom about school, about his grades, what he found difficult and what he didn’t. He told her about his teachers, some people in his class, how he was thinking about trying skateboarding to see if he was any good at it. He told her about the swim try outs, which she was as excited about as him. His mom was a great listener. She soaked everything he said in. She was the only person in the world who just _listened_ to him; who thought what he said was actually valuable. He felt safe spilling his inner thoughts to her.

He asked her about her job and her favourite coworkers. His mom could go on for ages, talking about customers: imitating them, talking about the most annoying ones. She had some hilarious stories; and some stories that would make both their blood boil.

He loved listening to his mom talk. She described things in a way he knew he never could, and in a way he’d never heard anyone else do. She could tell awesome stories, and make everything look pretty or horrible, just by describing it. He looked up at her in awe. _She’s so smart_.

They walked together, both enjoying their moment of peace, both in no rush to get to school.

Percy’s mom put an arm around his shoulders.

They were, unknowingly, both walking in each other’s protection. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel like it, leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	6. Yancy Academy

What do you get when you have ADHD, dyslexia, and can’t wait to get out of school?

“Percy, are you with us?”

“Jackson. Put that pen down or I will have to confiscate it. _Again_.”

“Mr. Jackson, last warning. Stop fidgeting around.”

“Percy, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside for a moment.”

He couldn’t concentrate, no matter how hard he tried. He was too excited for the swim try outs- he couldn’t wait to get back into the water again. _I wonder where the try outs will be_.

His school didn’t have a pool, so they would have to go to a private school for try outs and competitions. It was the only thing he wasn’t looking forward to. From the couple of times he’s interacted with private school kids, he knew they were the type to stay away from.

Mr. Orian had told him they would meet at the end of school in the gym, then take a half-bus to either Dalton or Yancy.

Percy couldn’t stay still. He was stood outside his last class of the day: science.

He usually sat in the back of the class, right in front of the huge, bubbling aquarium that the teacher kept. It was full of different coloured fish that they were forbidden to feed after some kid overfed them and ended up killing half of them.

Percy had just been thinking about how lucky he had been after his shower last night, how all the bruises had disappeared, and how he would be able to go swimming today. The more he thought about it, the weirder it got. He was pretty sure that was supposed to be impossible…

“Mr. Jackson”

It took him a moment to realize the class had fallen silent. The kids all turned to look at him, to see why the teacher had called him out. He looked up and found them whispering, looking behind him in awe.

“Woah!”

“Look at the fish!”

“What are they doing?”

He turned around and almost jumped. All the fish in the tank were squeezed into the corner of the aquarium, as if trying to escape. The looked like they were all facing him.

“Percy,” his teacher called again. When Percy turned to face her, she did not look happy. “Did you feed the fish, Percy?”

“What? Uh, no Ms. Logan, I didn’t?”

“Percy, would you like to explain why else the fish would be staring at you?”

He turned back around. “Uh, I don’t-”

Ms. Logan sighed. “Would you mind stepping outside Percy? I’ll meet you in a moment.”

The kids around him murmured. He shrugged and, taking his backpack with him, he made his usual, well-worn route out of the class.

He’d been standing there since, counting down the minutes, fidgeting. He felt like he’d been outside for a while and assumed the teacher had forgotten she’d sent him out again. He didn’t mind. He hadn’t been paying attention anyway.

The bell rang and Percy’s heart leapt. He thought about staying outside of the classroom, knowing the teacher would want to speak to him, but he couldn’t wait. Mr. O told everyone to meet up right after school, and he didn’t want to be late. Plus, he knew what Ms. Logan would say anyway.

-

“Percy! I’m glad you made it.” Mr. O smiled at Percy, who returned the smile. “Did you bring your trunks?”

“Uh,” Percy’s eyes widened. “My trunks?” Mr. O looked at him strangely, and Percy’s heart dropped. He had assumed his trunks would be provided, because he always saw the swim team walk around in their dark blue and white trunks. He didn’t have any at home.

“Did you forget them at home?”

There were about fifteen boys and girls around him. Most of them were older than him, and most of them were already members of the team from last year. Percy’s school building was separated into halves- one side was the Elementary school, the other was the Middle school. Because usually no one in elementary school tried out for swimming, Percy would be trying out for the middle school team- so he already stood out. When Percy noticed some of them listening in, he felt really embarrassed. “Uh- um, no? I-”

“It’s okay Mr. O! He can borrow mine.”

Percy whipped around and gawked. The captain of last year’s swim team, now an eighth grader, was smiling at him, offering him his team uniform.

“Uh-” Percy took the trunks and stared at them.

“I swear they’re clean,” the captain smirked, looking Percy up and down. “Although you might have to tighten them a bit.”

Percy blushed. Compared to the captain, Percy probably looked like a first grader.

“Thanks man,” Percy looked at the captain gratefully.

“Awesome. Thank you Shemar.” Mr. O clapped his hands once, to get everyone’s attention. “Come on guys, its 3:15- time to go!”

The team filed onto the bus, bustling. Most of them already knew each other and knew they would be selected for the team. Everyone from last year’s team was guaranteed a spot this year, so they weren’t worried. That made Percy both nervous and excited. He’d have to try extra hard.

He sat near the end of the bus, putting his backpack on the seat next to him. Placing his borrowed trunks on top of his backpack, he leaned against the window, waiting for the bus to start.

“Can I sit here?”

Percy looked up. The captain, Shemar, was gesturing to the seat next to Percy. He looked around briefly, wondering if all the other seats were full. There were lots of seats available. Percy’s heart flushed with warmth. People usually tried to stay away from him.

“Yeah,” Percy placed his backpack between his legs on the floor. “Shemar, right? Thanks again- for the trunks.”

Shemar sat down. “No problem, honestly.” The older boy got out his earphones and plugged them into his phone, putting only one bud in his ear. “I know I already got a spot. This would’ve just been for fun.” Shemar put his backpack between his legs and settled down. He fiddled on his phone for a song he liked, and once he settled for one, he asked: “You’re new here, right? Is it Percy?”

Percy nodded. “Came from River East.”

“Woah? River East Elementary school?” Percy nodded. “Were you there when that kid dunked his class in the shark tank? At Marine World?”

Percy’s face flushed. “That was me.”

Shemar gaped at him in awe. “That’s why you’re here now?”

Percy nodded again.

Shemar threw his head back and laughed heartily. Percy, shocked, couldn’t help but giggle too. The kids around them turned around.

“What’s so funny?” Some of them asked.

Shemar was still laughing. “Yo!” He tried to catch his breath. “You know that kid that shark dunked his class? From River East?” He wiped his eyes, still chuckling. “That was this guy! Percy!”

The kids around him erupted with noise. Percy blushed from the sudden attention.

“That was you?”

“You are a legend, dude”

“Woah! No, really?”

“Straight up _genius_”

“Did you do it on purpose?”

Percy chuckled. “No, it was an accident.”

Shemar was still laughing, albeit silently, next to him. “Absolute legend, Perce.”

Percy smiled. People didn’t usually give him nicknames.

They arrived at Yancy Academy thirty minutes later. They were led through the private boarding school and into the recreational room, which held the pool. From there, they were led into the changing rooms. Soon, the group was gathered around the pool, changed and ready to swim.

They weren’t the only ones there. There were some kids, which Percy assumed to be from Yancy, that were also using the pool. Their friends waited for them in the stands, chatting and doing homework. A little further away from the spectators sat a boy a little older than Percy. He was aimlessly watching the swimming, crutches laying across his lap. The boy had caught Percy’s eye from far away because he wore a bright rasta cap.

Percy took in the smell of chlorine and the sounds of kids splashing and messing around, smiling. He loved swimming.

Mr. O called for their attention. “Alright guys! So today, we’ll be going through some drills. We’ll test your speed, your technique, and your agility to see if you’ll be a good fit. All our drills will be demonstrated first by our experienced team members, and Shemar and I will be keeping a look out for who we want to keep.” He looked around at them all, excited. “We don’t expect you to be perfect- we’ll teach you how to be that later,” the experienced team members giggled at that. “Remember though-” Mr. O smiled at his students. “Have fun!”

The group broke up under Shemar’s instruction. They would be checking speed first, using the front crawl technique. They were divided into four random lines, one of which Percy found himself in front of. Adrenaline and excitement ran through his body. He felt giddy with confidence.

Shemar pulled out a silver whistle, and Percy got into position to jump in seamlessly. He smiled.

The whistle blew.

-  
  


“Good job out there today, Perce,” Shemar walked by, clapping his back. Percy beamed.

He knew he’d done well. He’d gone though all the drills with ease and was the fastest swimmer out there by far. Mr. O had come up to him during the drills, staring at him in awe.

“I thought you said you were _okay_?” His teacher whispered furiously.

Percy had blushed. “I mean-”

“Percy,” Mr. O looked at him earnestly. “You’re _fantastic_! I want you on the team.”

Percy’s heart was ready to burst. He felt proud of himself, proud of his work. It was a foreign feeling.

He was in the changing room, drying his hair off. He was packed and dressed, ready to get back on the bus. The kids around him clapped his shoulders, his back, his arms. He felt warm.

“Hey!”

Percy’s ears perked up. He was walking out of the changing rooms when he found someone approaching him. It was the kid he’d seen with the rasta cap- he was pretty fast on those crutches. Percy waited for him, confused as to why the kid was here.

“Dude, you were amazing!” The kid looked at him as if Percy was his long-lost brother. He looked amazed, but slightly afraid. “How are you so good?”

Percy’s neck burned. “Uh- thanks man. I don’t really know, I guess it just-”

“Comes naturally?” The kid had a big smile on his face. “What’s your name?”

He asked with such force that Percy forgot to hesitate. “Percy Jackson.”

The kid reached forward to shake his hand. Percy took it, confused. “I’m Grover. Underwood. I go to Yancy. Where do you go?”

“Um-”

“Percy! We have to go!” Percy whipped around. Mr. O was waving him over, the team was leaving.

“It’s okay,” the kid, Grover, blurted out when Percy turned to tell him he had to leave. “Maybe- Maybe I’ll see you around?”

Percy frowned, confused. The kid looked so earnest; he wasn’t sure what to say. “Sure, maybe you will-?”

“Nice meeting you, Percy Jackson.” Grover turned around, hurriedly making his way out of the recreation room. Percy just stared after him.

“Percy let’s go!”

-

After they were dropped back at the school, Percy began his walk home. His brain was restless, he could hardly keep the smile off his face. He’d done so well, and he’d actually had _fun_.

He hurried home, bursting to tell his mom about the try outs. The try outs had taken a while, so she should be home soon. He couldn’t wait to see her.

When Percy got home, he took out his key and unlocked the door. Before he could take the key back out, the door swung open revealing Gabe, still in his work uniform.

Percy’s breathing stopped. The events from the morning came back to him in violent flashes. His throat constricted. Gabe looked livid.

Percy tried to back away when he saw Gabe smile evilly at him, but Gabe reacted with deadly speed. He reached out and pulled Percy into the apartment by his hair, still damp from the try outs. Percy couldn’t stop himself from crying out in pain.

Gabe pulled Percy close to him, so Percy could feel his hot, thick breath on his ear. “An expert on food, _huh_?” Gabe growled. The older man slammed the door shut and yanked Percy to the floor. Percy’s scalp and neck exploded with pain. He fell unto the ugly carpeted floor, his knees scraping. Gabe stood over the young boy, his smile only hinting at his unhinged anger.

Percy had never seen Gabe like this before.

“Let’s show you what else I’m an expert of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me what you think!


	7. The Case of the Missing Backpack

“Jackson!” Mr. O called out in the middle of a crowded hallway.

Percy’s steps quickened. He did not want to have this conversation here, right now. Actually, he did not want to have this conversation at all.

Percy knew he was being rude, and he hated it. He also knew that he would have to explain to Mr. O that he couldn’t be part of the swim team, and he wouldn’t be able to explain why. The teacher had been calling him over the intercom system during lunch and after school for a day now, and Percy had been ignoring the calls. Holding all his books and binders in his arms, he turned into the English hallway and walked into his class.

He had a love-hate relationship with English.

He hated that this was the subject his dyslexia was highlighted the most. He couldn’t read out loud, he couldn’t spell, his essays came back covered in red ink and complaints of letters and words missing.

But then he loved that this was the subject he could turn in any opinion and it wouldn’t be incorrect. Sure, the teacher could disagree, but Percy just liked having something to say, and that it would be valued enough to be listened to, and sometimes even defended or argued with. He had a voice.

The bell rang.

“Hello class,” Mr. Buhm began, as always.

Mr. Buhm was an elderly man; obviously very intelligent and always smiling mischievously, as if he knew something about everyone that they didn’t. But he was a lot older, and the generational gap was severe. This came out in discussions about various social issues, technology, and- Percy’s favourite- learning disabilities. Mr. Buhm simply didn’t believe in them, and, while this caused Percy a lot of grief, it was also refreshing being told upfront that someone doesn’t believe in your learning disability instead of being patronized.

He stood, tall and regal, in front of the class, waiting for stragglers to come in. He refused to speak until every seat was full and every absence was accounted for. What he had to say was just _too_ important.

Percy’s teacher smiled at the class. His smiled wavered as he looked at Percy, who was very clearly his least favourite student. “Last class, we read about Mary discovering the secret garden, and her fascination of it.” Mr. Buhm’s exaggerated facial expressions always made the glass giggle, unbeknownst to him. “It was described thoroughly, using all the five senses. Mary did not have to tell us what she thought of the garden, because we read it in her descriptions, we felt her fondness in her words.” He closed his eyes for a moment. _Someone’s feeling his words a bit too much_.

Mr. Buhm opened his eyes, shaking his head as if to refocus. “Today we will start a writing assignment that will call for the same. We will describe a place in our lives: a classroom, a house, a vacation spot, and we will use our descriptions, our senses to reveal what we truly feel about this place. Don’t-” Mr. Buhm paused dramatically with wide eyes, “tell me if you like or dislike your chosen place. Describe it. Convince me,” he nodded. “I want a page dedicated to each sense-”

The breath the class had been holding was released in the form of a groan. Five pages was more than Percy had ever written in his life. He knew he couldn’t write that much in Mr. Buhm’s usual time frame, “-which is why,” Mr. Buhm glared at them, “I will be giving you all six weeks to complete this assignment, while keeping up with your readings. If any of you need extensions for extenuating circumstances,” Mr. Buhm glared at Percy, who sunk into his seat, despite the pain of it, “speak to me within a week of the due-“

The classroom phone rang. The whole class turned to it, far more interested in who was on the other end of the line than in Mr. Buhm.

“-date.” Mr. Buhm scoffed, shuffling to the phone. He picked it up, and after a short, irritated conversation, he hung up again. He turned to Percy, still irritated at the interruption. “Jackson, they’re expecting you at the front desk.”

Percy’s face reddened immediately. He hated being pointed out, but he also knew what this was about. He had been avoiding Mr. O for as long as he could.

He got up from his chair slowly, his back burning and his shirt sticking to his skin. Percy picked up all his things, balanced them in his arms, and walked to the door, his head hanging low. He realized he wouldn’t be able to open the door with all his things in his arms and looked at Mr. Buhm, very aware that the whole class was staring at him.

Mr. Buhm signed impatiently. “Where is your backpack, Jackson?” He asked as he opened the door for Percy.

Percy’s burning back answered the question for him. His backpack was at home, at the foot of his bed; dropped after various attempt of putting it on without wincing and shaking in pain. “Sorry. I, um, I lost it.”

His teacher rolled his eyes and closed the door behind Percy.

Percy couldn’t do anything without his back and his shoulders screaming at him. He felt every movement he made, every breath he took; it was all amplified. He felt every stretch, every pull, even every piece of fabric that stuck to the cuts in his back. If Percy was honest with himself, he still wasn’t quite sure what happened. He was still in shock.

_ “Let’s show you what else I’m an expert of.”_

_Gabe looked manic- completely insane with anger. He was still wearing his Electronics Mega-Mart uniform and, though Percy was terrified of how angry his stepdad was, he briefly considered leaving a bad review the next time he could. Gabe pulled Percy off the floor roughly and shoved him face-first into the wall. Percy was just able to catch himself, stretching his hands out in front of him. _

_“Don’t move.” He heard behind him._

_Percy turned his head back, terrified to disobey Gabe in this state, but also terrified of what was to happen next. Without moving too much, he could see Gabe standing directly behind him, taking his belt off. Percy’s heart thumped into his lungs, quickening his breaths. _I have to get out of here.

_Percy looked to his left. Save for a few chip bags and beer bottles, the path to his room was clear. He ran from Gabe-_

_Percy screamed; his scalp now familiar with the sensation of being pulled from his skull. _

_“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please let me go.”_

_“I said,” Gabe pushed him back against the wall, “don’t move.”_

_“Please don’t. _Please_\- can, can I go? I’m sorry-!”_

_“Take off your shirt!”_

_Percy whimpered at how inhumane Gabe sounded. He sounded deranged._

_“Take it off!”_

_He took off his shirt, tears threatening to spill. _

_“Please Gabe-”_

_Percy’s head was shoved into the wall in front of him. His ears rung for a moment. “Shut your mouth.”_

_Percy’s chest heaved with fear. He didn’t know what to do. Gabe had never gone this far before; he’d never used a belt. He hung his head between his outstretched arms, waiting for the ringing in his ears to pass. _How will I explain this?

Crack!

_Percy’s fists clenched as his back exploded with unimaginable pain. Percy forced his mouth shut, and with the amount of pain he was in, it was easy to block out the noises. It took all his energy to stay standing. White hot flames scorched his skin where the belt buckle hit. _

Crack!

_Percy’s knees shook. “Don’t you fall, you _weakling!_”_

Crack!

_Percy held himself against the wall. He couldn’t believe this was happening, he couldn’t believe Gabe had gone this far._

Crack!

_Tears fell from his eyes onto the floor. Every hit from the belt shook his against the wall. Every hit gave him more pain, until he wasn’t sure it was his pain anymore. Gabe just kept going. Percy had lost count after eleven hits. Soon, he couldn’t keep from falling to his knees. A couple of hits after that, he stopped begging Gabe to stop. Every time he felt the skin on his back break, his mind hardened. He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, forcing himself not to cry. _

_With every hit, a vow to himself formed; with every hit, his resolve deepened. He’d been treated like dirt for his whole life by bullies, by people who thought they were stronger than him. His body shook with each hit, and anger surged through his body. He promised himself he would never let anyone like that make him cry, he would never let another bully see through him again._

_He breathed heavily, hoping his mom didn’t come home with him like this. He’d never forgive himself for her pain._

_When the hits suddenly stopped coming, Percy had scrambled off to his bedroom, the stretching causing his back to spasm. He just lay on his bed on his stomach, crying and allowing the air to cool off his burning back. By the time his mom was home, he had showered and gone to bed, pretending to sleep. The shower had really hurt, and the pain in his back was slowly amplifying. He knew he wouldn’t get any sleep that night but didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything. He still didn’t believe what had just happened and couldn’t even be bothered to care about that. Only one thought broke through his sticky, throbbing pain:_

Mom can’t know.

Percy had too many things in his hands to knock on the front desk glass window, so he just stood there for a while, waiting to be noticed. He zoned out for a moment, trying to ignore how itchy his back was.

“Mr. Jackson?” The front-desk lady inquired. Percy turned his attention back to the window- it was his favourite front-desk lady. She had black hair, like his, but it was curlier, and longer. She had a kind smile and a velvety voice. Percy loved listening to her. She had been the one to help him out on his first day with his schedule and locker, and so on. Her name was Ms. Mendelez. “Mr. Orian is waiting for you in his office.”

He gave her a bright smile. “Thanks, Ms. Mendelez”

She smiled at him as he walked around the front-desk to a series of doors stretching down a long hallway, facing the cafeteria. It was almost eerie, being here alone, with no kids around. He smelled a faint waft of whatever the cafeteria was serving for lunch today, and, with a wrinkled nose, decided he would go without lunch for today.

He stood outside of Mr. O’s door. Usually this office was empty. Percy had never actually seen his P.E teacher inside; he was always moving, organizing teams, running extracurricular activities, arguing with other coaches on his phone. It felt weird to be in front of this office now. Percy shuffled everything in his arms around so he could knock with his elbow. Immediately, he heard a faint voice inside: “come in!”

Percy groaned internally, having hoped Mr. O would open the door for him. He leant down with his elbow, hoping to catch the door handle-

The entirety of his belongings in his arms slipped onto the floor with a series of loud thuds. _Crap_. Percy heard shuffling inside the office and immediately leant down to pick everything up, forgetting the state his back was in. When the skin stretched again, Percy felt something rip and he froze, face scrunched in pain.

The door opened and Mr. O appeared in front of Percy, a confused look on his face. “Percy, are you alright?” Percy straightened his back, waiting for the waves of pain to ease, thinking of what to say. Mr. O looked at his stuff on the floor and leant down to pick them up. “Did you drop these? Where is your backpack?”

“At home.” Percy blurted out without thinking, just trying to hide the pain on his face. “Maybe, I don’t know. I lost it.” His back felt cool and sticky- something was trickling down his shirt.

Mr. Orian looked at the young boy in front of him, a worried expression on his face. “Percy sit down.” The older man pulled his desk chair from behind his desk and wheeled it next to Percy. Percy took the seat gingerly, watching Mr. O lean against his desk in front of him. He suddenly felt cornered.

“Percy, you weren’t in P.E today, or yesterday afternoon.” Mr. O gazed at Percy reproachfully. “I thought you were sick until I saw you this morning. Are you skipping my class?”

Percy shuffled in his seat. He felt awkward, like he knew he’d let Mr. O down, but he also wanted to get the conversation done with because he back was screaming at him- and he didn’t have a lot of answers to offer anyway. “Yeah, I was.”

Mr. O frowned, taken aback. “Percy, you can’t-”

“And I don’t want to be on the swim team.” Percy gave Mr. O a hard look. His heart clenched, knowing he was most likely slapping away a helping hand.

The man looked at him curiously. His voice was no longer questioning when he asked: “and why is that?”

Percy had no idea how to answer that. He subconsciously leant away from the man in front of him, wincing.

“Percy, are you hurt-?”

“No. I’m not.”

Mr. O looked unconvinced. “You can barely hold yourself, let me see-”

“No.” Percy stood up quickly, not caring as his pencil rolled out of his arms and onto the floor. He wouldn’t be able to pick it up anyway. Percy glared at Mr. O. He knew the man was just trying to help, but something about being able to tell someone to back off felt good. Misdirected fury boiled in his throat. He tried to calm himself.

The man in front of him was quiet for a moment, feeling the sudden tension in the air. His favourite student stood in front of him, suddenly hostile, suddenly distant. There wasn’t much he could do, and he hated it. “Have you been getting into fights, Percy?”

It was the only explanation that fit. There was rarely a gym class in which Percy wasn’t injured or wincing. The boy spoke of his mom with such love and adoration, and Mr. O was pretty sure it was just the two of them, because he hadn’t heard Percy speak of anyone else. He’d seen Percy’s record before. The boy was quick to anger, and even quicker to stand up for people. Mr. O was just afraid that this behaviour had spread beyond school grounds.

Percy was silent.

Mr. O sighed. “Percy, trust me, if you need any help, or if you’re in any trouble, I can help you.”

Percy shook his head. _No, you can’t_. “I’m not.”

His teacher looked at him pleadingly. “Percy-”

The bottled-up anger popped open the lid. Percy stood up abruptly, his pain fueling his anger even more. “I’m not in any trouble! I just don’t want to be on the stupid swim team!” Percy yelled. “I don’t need your help.” He pleaded. _He’s going to hurt my mom._

Mr. O shook his head, not hearing him. He crossed the room and held the door open for Percy, not saying anything.

Percy’s heart ached. He hated the look on his teacher’s face; he’d let another person down. He hid his face from Mr. O as he walked out of the room, desperately wanting to apologize. He heard the door shut behind him and walked away. He walked through the cafeteria and past the front desk. He walked through the school doors and heard Ms. Mendelez call out to him. He kept walking. Past the school gates, across roads. He walked by familiar buildings. He felt numb as he walked, turning corners and ignoring looks. He just walked. He didn’t care about his back anymore. Let it hurt. He deserved to hurt. He walked through his front door, into his room. Everything in his arms fell to the floor, scattering on the carpet. He didn’t care. He turned to his bed and wanted to lie in it, to scream into it. It was so unfair. Why did he always push people out? Why do bad things always happen to him?

_Because you deserve it._

He almost fell onto his bed when a foreign object on it stopped him. He stepped back.

A skateboard.

It was beautiful. It almost looked new, with florescent blue wheels. Percy just looked at it, confused. His thoughts stopped for a moment; a strange feeling bubbled in his chest. He was about to turn it around to study the underside of the board when he noticed a card. His mother’s large, clear writing took a while to register in his mind, and he was already crying by the time he translated it.

**It’s yours. You’ve been working so hard, you deserve it. I love you lots, mom.**


	8. Jax Hoffman

Percy’s hair whipped in the wind and he pushed the skateboard to go faster. The early morning air numbed his bruised cheekbone and his aching stomach, so he tore through the streets as fast as he could, holding his shopping bag in his hands.

He’d had the skateboard for almost two months now, and had picked the skill up immediately. He practiced as hard as he could and now, the older skaters in his local park called him ripper, instead of grommet.

Percy didn’t care either way. It made him feel so _unleashed._

At first, his mom made him promise to be careful and to avoid the streets; but after months of falling, practicing, refining, he’d taken his chances. He’s never felt more in control of his life.

Today was his first day back in school after his three-day suspension, and Gabe had given him a special warning the night before to not bother him with a school call again. Percy had stayed silent while Gabe plummeted his empty stomach with punches. So quiet, that Gabe had gotten frustrated and decked the boy in the face, which he usually tried to avoid doing. Percy had smirked at the fear in that ugly face- he considered that a win.

Percy slowed his speed when he reached his apartment block. He still had an hour before school started, which would be enough time to hide the bruise on his cheekbone. He ran up the stairs and made no noise as he walked into the apartment and into the bathroom. Everyone else was still asleep, and Percy wanted to keep it that way. He usually never left his room without covering up an injury that couldn’t be explained with skateboarding, but he’d noticed yesterday that he was almost out of makeup again.

He placed the contents of the shopping bag into his pencil case, taking off the protective layers of plastic on the new products. Before he began, he brushed his teeth and took a shower. Percy hated brushing his teeth after he put makeup on because something always went wrong and the make-up always ended up dripping off his face.

During the shower, he tried to gage how much damaged had been done to his abdomen. It felt tender, but it was only slightly flushed and didn’t hurt a huge amount. He’d gotten off fairly easy.

After getting dressed, Percy started his makeup routine. His newly bought colour correcting pallet was a lot more pigmented than his old one, so he had to be careful with the application. He used yellow and purple on the bruise after his initial touch ups, and couldn’t help but be impressed at how normal he looked. After the translucent powder, the concealer, and the powder foundation, his face looked even and smooth.

He packed everything up and washed his hands. Percy enjoyed this part of the morning. It was therapeutic. While everyone was asleep, he had time to think and brush away any mark Gabe tried to leave on him- and he was really good at it, too. It was the ultimate revenge.

Soon, Percy was back on his skateboard, heading to school. There were more cars out now, and Percy smiled every time he was honked at, whether he was in their way or not. He just zipped past them and through the school gates.

His first class was P.E, but he hadn’t been to that class for weeks- not after his argument with Mr. O. He had permanent after-school detention because of it, and Gabe hated when he came home late, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to see Mr. O’s disappointment again.

After putting his things in his locker, he walked past the gym and into the library. No one ever thought of looking for him there, and even if they did, he’d found the perfect spot to seclude himself. A lonely corner right where the two huge shelves of World History and World Maps met.

He sat on the floor, leaning towards the rough carpeted ground. He had taken out a binder and his English writing assignment, which was due today. He never got to work on it at home- and the last three days had been especially rough with Gabe- so he had been working on it between classes, in the skate park, hiding on the fire escape- anywhere that provided some quiet.

He poured over his assignment. He had recently managed to get it to five pages, which he couldn’t help but be proud of. He always put a lot of effort into his assignments, but he could usually tell which ones he would fail, just by how much he struggled to write them. This assignment had just fallen out of him.

The subject he had chosen to write about was Montauk. Him and his mom used to go there, to the same cabin, every summer for a weekend, and he loved the place more than anything. Last time they’d gone together, it was to celebrate his mom getting her high school diploma- they always had something to celebrate when they went. He only ever went there with his mom, so it felt sacred somehow, untouched; even though Gabe hadn’t let them go last summer, because they didn’t have enough money.

He felt proud of how he had described his five senses in Montauk, but he knew he would need to work even harder to find the spelling and grammar mistakes before his class.

He knew he couldn’t ask anyone for help. Firstly, because he was skipping P.E. Second, this was a personal topic. He wasn’t even sure if he was okay with Mr. Buhm reading what he wrote. And thirdly, he hated the condescending looks and explanations he got when he asked for help in anything- it made him feel like such an idiot.

By the time the class block was over, Percy had gone through the assignment four times. He wanted to go through it again because he knew there were still mistakes in it, but he couldn’t. His own words were swimming off the page. Letters were mixing with each other; he couldn’t pin any of them down long enough to read them. He put away his things and got up. Now he just needed to rewrite it on clean paper, then he could hand it in. His next class was SPED, and they usually left him alone to do whatever he wanted as long as he stayed in the class.

The bell rang, and Percy had five minutes to get to his next class. He shouldered his backpack and left the library, into the crowded hallway. As soon as he did, he heard an ugly, obnoxious laugh. Percy froze; he recognized that laugh anywhere.

“What are you doing in the library, idiot? Everyone knows you can’t read for _shit_.”

Jax Hoffman and the rest of his ugly buffoon friends stood in front of him, blocking off the hallway so the other kids had to skirt around them. Percy looked around him. No teachers. Only students who knew what happened when Percy Jackson and Jax Hoffman got within five meters of one another. Jax was the reason for all three of Percy’s warnings, and his subsequent suspension.

Percy tried to walk away, his mom’s voice in his head. _No more fights, Percy- please. I know this isn’t you_. But Percy didn’t know how she could be so sure. Every day, since he was six years old, he’d felt this anger course through him. So easily triggered; so easily acted on.

“Aw, what’s wrong Jackson. Running off? To mommy?”

Percy clenched his fists and forced himself to keep walking. Jax knew talking about Percy’s mom would always aggravate him, no matter how in control over his anger Percy initially seemed.

“Isn’t she at work right now? I heard you guys are poor as hell. I wonder where she gets the money to keep you alive…” Percy froze as he heard Jax’s friend chortle behind him. His heart pounded. He forced himself to breathe evenly. “Probably the Wh-”

“Jax Hoffman!” The yell was loud and authoritative to make all the boys jump. They whipped to the direction of the sound. Mr. Orian stood there, looking furious and suddenly much older and bigger. He walked towards the boys slowly, almost dangerously. “To the Vice Principle’s office. Now.” Mr. Orian kept walking, past Jax’s friends- who dispersed quickly, past Percy, while not looking at any of them. He didn’t even look to see if Jax was following him, which he was, with his head hung and his neck red.

Percy watched Mr. O walk by him with his mouth wide open. He couldn’t believe his luck. Teachers never stood up for him, they always got there at the wrong moment. He was even more shocked that it was Mr. O that caught Jax. Percy would’ve thought the man hated him. He’d been avoiding him for seven weeks.

Still frozen and standing amidst a thinning crowd of kids going to their classes, Percy watched from afar as Mr. O held the Vice Principle’s office door open for Jax. Before the teacher went in himself, he paused and look up. Percy caught Mr. O’s eye for a moment. His teacher’s eyes twinkled, but his face remained hard. He gave Percy a brief nod, then disappeared into the room. Percy was confused at the foreign, warm feeling that spread through his body. _Trustworthy._

The second bell rang, and Percy rushed upstairs to his SPED class. He had an assignment to finish.


	9. Parent-Teacher Conferences

“If anyone has any questions about the practice final, come and see me at lunch. And don’t forget everyone, the Parent-Teacher conferences are tonight- if your parents can’t make it, they will have to confirm with the administration!”

Percy walked out of his Science class, completely confused. He’d started to get the hang of matter, and motion, and energy, and all that, but he’d gotten barely any questions right in that mock exam. His hands were sweating. He felt guilty again, but he pushed the feeling away, replaced it with a numbness that cooled his brain.

He spent lunch alone, walking laps around the school to walk off his nerves. Finals were coming up, and just the thought of them was making his breath hitch. It wasn’t fair. It’s not that he found the material difficult to understand- he understood things quicker than most kids in his class. It was just that he couldn’t _prove _it, he couldn’t _translate _it. If someone asked him about anything he was learning about in class, he would be able to answer it easily. But written on paper, in the most convoluted way possible- that made his eyes ache and his brain flip, then, suddenly, he was an idiot.

He had tried to explain this to his teachers before, but they didn’t listen to him. They thought he couldn’t take in information; that his learning disability limited his intelligence, that his ADHD kept him distracted. He wished he could translate to them what he meant and what he needed. He’s not stupid, he’s just…

Percy sat down. His mom was coming tonight, to the Parent-Teacher conferences. He put his head in his hands. He knew he was going to let her down.

The only thing he had to look forward to was English, and he thought of that as he stood up and started walking again. Today, they were going to get their writing assignments back, and Percy felt a dangerous excitement creep up his arms. He tried to scold himself for getting excited, but couldn’t help it. Mr. Buhm had taken five whole weeks to mark those papers, and good grade was exactly what Percy needed right now.

* * *

“Honey, you got a C-?”

Percy thought back to when he sat down in his English class. Mr. Buhm had already started handing out all the marked assignments. When he got to Percy, he carelessly dropped the assignment in front of the boy, who was full of nervous energy. Eagerly, he flipped to the last page, past all the red corrections and the paragraph of improvements Mr. Buhm left him. Then he saw his grade.

“Percy, that’s amazing! Well done!”

Percy met his mom’s high-five enthusiastically. C- is the highest grade he’s ever gotten on anything, and he was admittedly proud to have gotten that high on an _English_ assignment. He couldn’t shake the smile off his face as he watched his mom respond to the good news with the excitement he felt. She immediately grabbed her jacket and her shoulder bag from where she left them on Percy’s desk and smiled at him.

“We’re celebrating.”

“Before the Parent-Teacher conferences?”

Her expression became sympathetic. Percy knew she saw right through him. He was nervous about the conferences, and she knew what that meant by now. She knew that if they celebrated after the conferences, they may not have much to celebrate.

Percy’s shoulders fell. He knew his mom understood. She knew when he was struggling because of his learning disabilities, and she was always patient with him. He loved that about her, but he felt like he didn’t deserve it. School had been pretty difficult this year, and he wasn’t sure if his grades were good enough to stay.

These Parent-Teacher conferences were not going to be fun; they both knew it.

But Percy knew his mom was on his side.

“Sally!” Gabe yelled from the living room.

Percy wanted to tell him to be quiet. Him and his mom were sat on the side of Percy’s bed in his room, where she had come in right after her shift ended early for the conferences. This was the first time in days that they had had time to talk, and he didn’t want the human embodiment of a stinking, fat walrus to interrupt them.

His mom took a couple of seconds to answer, and Percy had a feeling she had been thinking the same thing. “Gabe?”

“Where’s my dinner?”

“In the fridge, Gabe.”

“Well, I can’t exactly reach it from here, can I?”

Percy had to forced his mouth shut before he said something they all would regret. He looked up at his mom and saw her staring as Percy’s door, not moving. After a moment, she caught his eye and got up again, settling her bag on her shoulder.

“Come on, Percy. We’re leaving.”

Percy put his favourite blue hoodie on over his shirt and followed his mom out of his room. While he went to put on his shoes, his mom got Gabe’s dinner from the fridge. Percy tried to ignore the older man, who was sat in front of the T.V- the crease in the couch so deep, it almost hit the floor- but it was useless. The front door was right next to the T.V, which meant Percy had entered Gabe’s vision. A snarl formed on the man’s face, as if Percy’s mere presence had ruined his night.

“What are you doing in front of the T.V, brain boy?”

“I’m nowhere near the T.V.” Percy mumbled quietly as he tied his shoe, not wanting to give Gabe a reason to forbid them from going out.

“What was that, genius?”

“It’s Parent-Teacher conference night, Gabe.” Percy looked up and saw his mom come in with some reheated pizza. She was smiling at the man, but she was walking quickly, eager to leave the apartment. “Our appointment is in fifteen minutes.”

Percy put his head back down to tie his other shoe, smiling. Their appointment was late tonight- it wasn’t for another hour and a half.

Gabe laughed maliciously. “Another one of those? Why? So you can hear what everyone already knows?” Gabe guffawed stupidly. “The kid’s a screw up- he’ll always be an idiot! What else is new?”

Percy stood up. His face felt hot. He hated that after all these years, _his face still feels hot_.

“Don’t you dare.” Percy looked at his mom and saw a murderous expression on her face. He saw Gabe’s face flicker with fear. “Don’t you dare speak to my son like that again.” She glared at him, looking deep into his eyes. The room seemed to drop in temperature.

Percy’s anger left him. He rarely saw him mom get angry like that. When she did, it was _downright scary_.

When his mom broke their eye contact, Gabe stared after her, gaping.

“Come on, Percy.”

And with that, they left a stunned, greasy man and his pizza alone in the apartment.

* * *

They decided to walk to Grand Central Station.

They hadn’t agreed upon it verbally, nor had they decided out loud where they would go to celebrate. This was another thing that Percy loved about his mom- she understood him.

She could finish thoughts off for him. She knew his opinion about things. Sometimes, they would just be together, not saying anything, and she would know what he was thinking about. He never had to explain himself to his mom. Percy didn’t know how she did it, but knew that this was why she was always on his side, why she knew he wasn’t stupid or lazy, even when Percy was starting to think so himself.

During most of their walk they had Central Park next to them, the sounds of nature and the busy streets colliding, drowning each other out. They walked past construction, endless throngs of people, bright shops, and aggressive drivers.

Percy loved it.

He loved New York.

Not that he had many other places to compare it with, but he loved the city’s restlessness. It was always moving, always changing. It didn’t slow down for anyone, and it didn’t pay attention to anyone.

His mom loved it too. Percy knew she loved being outside of the apartment and in the city. She took a deep breath and ruffled Percy’s hair. They talked about anything they wanted to. Sometimes about every little thing that crossed their minds, sometimes about nothing at all. They were simply comfortable together, and although Percy mind was filled with worries- the conference, Gabe’s anger about what had happened when they left, his grades- he found relief in his mom being next to him; nothing in his life was ever constant, except her.

* * *

When they arrived at the little store called Sweet on America, all the employees there fussed around about them.

“Percy, dear, you’re so tall!”

“You have to visit us more often, we missed you!”

“How’s school, sweetie?”

“Are blue jellybeans still your favourite?”

Percy and his mom left the store with a huge sample bag and a few customers gawking after them. His mom laughed like she always did when Percy leaves her work, cheeks pinched and hair ruffled.

“You look so overwhelmed,” she chuckled, flattening his hair as he took a disgruntled bite of a blue liquorice.

They walked in silence for a while, enjoying their treats.

“Honey?”

“Hm?” Percy looked up at his mom. She had an amused smile on her face.

“You’ve been sucking on that liquorice for five minutes now.”

He suddenly noticed the candy in his mouth. “Oh.”

“What’s up?”

After taking another bite out of the candy in his mouth, Percy thought about that question. His mind was stormy. Here he was, with his mom, eating candy, and he couldn’t stop thinking. Thinking about the conference, thinking about his grades, how angry Gabe probably was, how his mom had been working more than usual, how he knew he probably wouldn’t survive this school year. Why couldn’t he stop worrying?

He heard his mom shuffle around, searching for something in her pockets. He looked up as she took out her phone, searched her contacts, and put the phone to her ear. He briefly wondered who she was calling. Then, as he stared at the ground, he wondered what he should say to her when she was done; she was still expecting an answer.

“Hello, this is Sally Jackson speaking, Percy Jackson’s mother. Yes. I am calling with regards to the conferences tonight.”

Percy’s head whipped up; he frowned, confused.

“Yes. No- I’m calling ahead to let you know that Percy and I will not be coming tonight. He is not feeling well, and I would prefer him to stay home. No, that won’t be necessary. I am already in regular contact with them. Thank you, have a nice evening.”

She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. After grabbing a hard candy out of the sample bag, she caught Percy staring at her.

“Mom…”

“Percy.”

“We’re not going? To the…”

“No, honey. If it’ll do nothing except make you anxious, we’re staying in the city instead.”

A smile broke Percy’s wonder. He felt as though the world had been lifted off his shoulders. “But- but what if you miss something? What if-”

“Percy.” She stopped walking and put her hands on his arms. Pedestrians around them mumbled and grunted as they had to walk around them. “I trust you.” She squeezed his arms reassuringly, then they kept walking. “We can have a Parent-Student conference instead. Tell me about your classes.”

Percy smirked at her cheekily. He popped a jellybean in his mouth and walked close to his mom. “Well, what can we say, Ms. Jackson,” he said in his lowest, most official voice. “Your son is our favourite student- the best in the world!”

His mom laughed and nudged him as they walked. “Ah yes,” she played along. “You must be talking about my second son, Richard.”

“_Mom!_”


	10. Consent Form

The finals really kicked Percy’s butt.

Sitting in one spot for hours, not being able to talk or look around, having to read and answer hundreds of questions, all while the stress of finals was pitting both his learning disabilities against each other- and, most importantly, against _him_?

Torture.

Percy left his two exams trying to reassure himself that they didn’t matter as much as he thought. Final exams in Elementary school didn’t exactly count towards a grade- they were more like… skill tests.

That thought didn’t make him feel any better. His head was swimming with useless information while his body was in shock, using pure muscle memory to skate home. He tried to push it all out of his mind and enjoy the long weekend before the second semester started.

He shuddered as he arrived at the skatepark. This semester was supposed to have been the easy one. He didn’t know if he could survive the next semester.

His mom wouldn’t be home from work yet, and Percy didn’t want to run into Gabe today- he was too agitated. He decided to practice some tricks before the park filled up with high school students; they always took up all the space.

Not that he didn’t enjoy hanging out with the other kids in the park. They usually weren’t from his school and they had been practicing for longer than him, so they always taught him cool tricks and it was fun skating with them. They didn’t care that he was in elementary school, nor did they care that he always came alone. The skate park had become a bit of a safe haven for Percy, and the kids there were all pretty cool.

Today, though, he needed some time alone.

Not that he ever got what he wanted.

He had just landed his first Laserflip when he heard incoming voices. Percy looked up to see if it was the usual group of skaters that hung out at the park; after having blown off his steam, he was eager to show them his new trick.

Then, Percy saw who it was. He quickly grabbed his skateboard and hurried to collect his backpack from the edge of the bowl before they saw him.

“Aw no, you’re leaving?”

_Of course_, they saw him.

Percy turned around slowly. “What do you want, _Jax_?”

Jax was walking towards him, in between only two of his usual group of goons. The constant sneer on his face was already inviting Percy to punch it- but he had a promise to keep.

Jax was wearing his usual jeans and an oversized shirt. His two friends were only slightly bigger than him, but that was why they had been allowed to be his friends- he thought he needed bodyguards. It was almost laughable, how simple people like Jax were. Percy had been in enough schools to know that every grade had a bully that thought of themselves as an important part of the student food chain. If they weren’t there to bully people, who knows what would happen to their loser classmates? They might- god forbid- _enjoy_ school.

“I haven’t seen you around, _Jackson_. Are you avoiding me?”

“I don’t know, Jax- try asking your suspension.”

Jax scowled at him. “I only got that suspension because of you, dumbass.”

Percy smirked. “Man, are you sure? I could’ve sworn I heard you apologizing to the VP and your parents about your ‘_history of unacceptable behaviour’._”

Jax grit his teeth. His friends looked confused, as if they had been told something completely different- which they probably had.

“I _knew_ that was you walking by.”

“Yeah,” Percy smiled with mock sympathy, “it was.”

“I told dad to close the door,” the boy said, more to himself than anyone else, his ears turning pink.

Percy knew he should stop aggravating Jax and his friends. He had promised to stay out of fights at school and they had clearly come here to start one. Part of him, though, loved the fights. Or, he should say, part of him loved being able to _fight back_.

“Hm- was that before or after you started crying?”

Jax snarled as his friends looked at him suspiciously, as if they didn’t know who to believe. _I wonder what he told them, _Percy thought. _Probably that he managed to get the VP to apologize to _him.

“Shut up, freakshow,” the smaller boy turned to his friends. “Grab his board. Let’s see if he can still skate after we snap it in half.”

Percy’s fists clenched instinctively. He knew he could easily outrun them with the skateboard, but part of him was itching to throw a punch at Jax and his goons.

The three boys walked closer to him as menacingly as elementary students could. Percy almost laughed. _As if they’re the scariest thing I’ve ever seen_.

Percy’s heart stopped suddenly when he realized he’d been out for too long. He shuddered. He would rather stay out here where he knew he could win than go home before his mom was back.

Percy’s shoulders slumped; his fists relaxed. He had promised.

It was easy to dodge the boys. He backed up quickly and threw his board on the ground, jumping on it as it rolled away. He had mastered the board enough to swerve around them effortlessly, and, soon enough, they were on his tail.

“Hey!”

“Coward!”

They probably hadn’t been expecting it, because Percy usually fought back. Percy couldn’t even enjoy their stupid, shocked faces as they ran after him, knowing that he was running into something worse.

“See you in school, freak!”

* * *

“Got any money on you, punk?”

Percy stopped on his way to his room, scolding himself. Whenever he thought he’d gotten past Gabe unnoticed, the guy always sniffed him out from wherever he was. This time, it was from the kitchen.

“No.” Percy remembered Gabe taking all his money when he found his dog-walking bank. The man had taken it all, accumulated from when Percy first started dog-walking in the summers and the few times he'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It had been Percy’s only way of buying new makeup whenever he ran out, and now Gabe had taken it all- and with a vengeance; he hadn’t been happy that the money had been hidden from him for so long. “You took it all, remember?” Percy mumbled bitterly.

Gabe came out of the kitchen with heavy footsteps. “What was that?”

Percy cursed himself. “Nothing.” He stared at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with Gabe.

Gabe walked closer to him. “You know I hate it when you mumble.”

Percy’s body tensed, ready to run even though he knew he couldn’t. He hated this. He hated it more than anything in the world. He hated how Gabe could get away with threatening him all the time, and how he never put up a fight.

Gabe’s eyes were squinting, trying to figure out what Percy was thinking.

“Do we need a refresher on what happened last time a Jackson talked back to me?”

Percy shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the floor. He forced himself not to shiver when he remembered the huge beating he had gotten when his mom stood up to Gabe a month ago, on the day of the Parent-Teacher conferences.

“Next time, I might just take it up with mommy- would you like that, huh, punk?”

Percy finally looked up, glaring at Gabe. The man had a satisfied look on his face. He knew what he needed to do to bend Percy to his will. Anger rushed into Percy’s mouth.

“No! Leave mom alone!”

The boy’s glare faltered as Gabe stepped even closer, towering over him. He could smell Doritos and beer in Gabe’s breath and tried not to gag.

Gabe had his brows raised. “Did I say you could shout, boy?”

Percy shook his head and stepped back hesitantly.

“Stay here!” Gabe yelled as he backhanded the young boy. The slap rung in Percy’s ears. Gabe grabbed a handful of Percy’s hair and pulled it back, forcing the boy to look up with his neck bent painfully. “Listen carefully, punk,” Gabe spat. “You don’t shout at me, understand?”

Percy tried to swallow, but his neck was bent too far back. He whimpered as Gabe shook his hair aggressively.

“Understand?” The man yelled.

“Yeah,” Percy gasped, his cheek stinging more and more.

Gabe grunted, using Percy’s hair to shove the boy on the ground. “I’ve always been too easy on you.”

Percy landed awkwardly on his stomach and his elbows, refusing to cry out as he hit the floor. His eyes were wet from the stinging of his cheek and the throbbing of his scalp. His elbows burned as he slowly got up, picking up his discarded skateboard. His body flared uselessly with anger.

_One day, you’ll wish I said the same thing._

* * *

The long weekend before the second semester was rough. With his mom constantly working overtime and getting the late shifts, Percy and Gabe spent lots of time together, which was painful in more ways than one.

Returning to school on Tuesday was bitter-sweet. It was hard always lying to his mom about how he was doing and trying to keep calm when Gabe was around. His mom working so much and Percy being home on three consecutive days made Gabe grouchy, which always left a mark.

Percy walked through the social studies hallway. He’d never been in this part of the school before, and had to concentrate to read the classroom numbers with all the students pushing to get to their classes. The first bell had just gone off, and the new semester had everyone rushing around, trying to get to class on time to see if they knew anyone in their classes and to get the best seats. Percy didn’t bother trying to be there earlier than everyone else. His teachers always ended up moving him anyway.

He found his class and walked in. This semester, his classes were social studies, reading, math, and art. He’d miss having SPED. For him, it was basically a spare.

The teacher was already handing out papers. Percy groaned internally. His experience in many schools and many first days taught him that a teacher handing out an assignment on the first day meant the class was going to be hard work.

He walked in, placing his bag on the ground next to the seat he’d chosen; next to the window, far from the teacher. The other kids in the class payed him no mind, too busy trying to find seats next to their friends.

It was halfway through the semester and Percy still didn’t have anyone he could sit next to. He tried to pretend that it didn’t bother him, reminding himself why he purposely wasn’t putting any effort into making friends. He moved around too much, he’d left so many friends behind. Here, at his fifth school, Percy had decided to give it a rest. He briefly remembered the swim team, and how they had welcomed him… He pushed the idea out of his head. _Friends have too many questions anyway_.

The second bell rang.

“Good morning class!” His new teacher, Ms. Gould, began cheerfully. She was a tall, young teacher, dressed like a fashionable librarian, with cat-eye shaped glasses. Her blonde hair was in a tight bun and her smile was very white. This early in the morning, Percy had to blink several times to get used to the teacher in front of the class. “As you already know, I am Ms. Gould, and I am so excited to be teaching you all this semester.”

Ms. Gould looked around the class and gave everyone that cheery smile. Percy wasn’t sure what to make of her. She seemed very genuine, but she also seemed very… inexperienced. Maybe she was new. Her smile was met with uncertain grins and wide eyes from the rest of the students.

“I’m going to tell you a little about myself. I just recently transferred here from the school in which I finished my practicum.” _Ah, new. _“I learned many things there I would love to share with you all, which is why I will be taking you to the Saratoga Battlefield for a more… interactive learning experience!”

Percy finally looked at the paper in front of him he’d been pointedly ignoring and recognized it to be a consent form. He smiled in relief. He’d take fieldtrips over assignments any day. 

“There, we will learn about the Battles of Saratoga in 1777, during the American War for Independence, when American troops battled and beat a British invasion force, marking the first time in world history that a British Army ever surrendered.” Ms. Gould paused to write the words: ‘Battles of Saratoga’, ‘1777’, ‘American Independence’, and ‘America vs Britain’ on the whiteboard behind her. “This victory secured foreign recognition and support, affirmed United States independence, and changed the face of the world.”

Percy look around him, wondering if he should be taking any notes. He didn’t actually have anything to write with; it was the first day of the semester and he hadn’t thought they’d be learning anything. There were students already taking notes and Percy thought of asking someone for paper. He decided against it and just flipped the consent form around, writing random pieces of information about American Independence.

He was excited for the field trip. Percy had heard of the Saratoga Battlefield and how awesome it was. He hoped his mom would still let him go after his last, wet fieldtrip to the aquarium.


	11. Contingency Plan

“Percy, honey. I have something to tell you.”

Percy looked up at his mom, wondering if she was finally going to tell him why the two of them were eating at their favourite diner. His mom had a weird energy about her, as if she was both nervous and excited. They hadn’t been out for dinner in a long, long time.

“mm?” He asked through his cheeseburger.

His mom’s eyes glittered as she laughed at him. She was already finished with her burger and was munching on her fries. “The burger’s not going to run away from you, Percy. Eat slower, will you?”

Percy smiled toothily, showing his mom the contents of his mouth.

His mom snorted and threw a napkin in his direction. “Gross, Percy.” She watched him chew for a moment as her face dropped slowly. There was something on her mind and she’d been trying to tell him about it all day, Percy could tell. She’d taken the day off for them to spend together, and, as far as Percy knew, today wasn’t a special occasion. “Honey, I finally managed to save up enough money.”

Percy swallowed as his face lit up. “That’s awesome mom! You were working so much.” His mom smiled- a little sadly. Percy frowned, wondering what would make her upset. “What were you saving for? A new apartment?” He asked, hopeful.

She chuckled again. “Not yet, honey.” Her hesitancy made Percy nervous. She looked in his eyes before carefully saying: “I found an amazing boarding school that I think would really help your learning.”

Percy froze at the words ‘boarding school’. “Uh- boarding…?”

His mom looked almost guilty. “Percy, I know you hate the idea- I do too. But I can’t think of a better option.” She pursed her lips guiltily when she saw Percy frown. “I just- I can’t stand watching you struggle and not get the help you need. I think this will be really good for you. It’s Yancy Academy, and you’ve already been inside, remember? They are experienced when it comes to offering extra help.”

Percy looked at his fries. Yancy was so far away. He knew his mom was helping, and he knew she’d worked so hard to safe the money. He didn’t want to be a brat but… was she really going to send him away?

“Percy, baby- I know.” She reached to hold his greasy hand over the table. “I want you here, near me more than anything. That’s why-” Percy caught her eye. She looked more conflicted and confused than he felt. “I think this will be the best for you.” She squeezed his hand. “I understand that you don’t like the idea- I don’t either. But we can go through this together.” She smiled sadly again, and now Percy knew why. “Just, just trust me on this one- okay, baby?”

Percy heard the pain in her voice. He saw the sadness in her eyes. His mom had always been on his side and he knew she would never leave it. He felt scared for the new school and worried for his mom. If things had been different, he would’ve trusted him her decision and talked through his fears with her. If things had been different, he would’ve felt so lucky to have his mom, who worked so hard to give him better chances. If things had been different…

But things weren’t different.

He knew even now as he nodded and smiled at his mom that there was no way he was going to that boarding school. There was no way that he would leave his mom alone with Gabe. He couldn’t risk that- _never_.

He had to find a way to make them reject him before he even started school.

* * *

Percy skulked into his art classroom. Lunch was over and he hadn’t seen Jax Hoffman once. In fact, he hadn’t seen Jax since the semester started, a whole five weeks ago. He huffed as he slumped into his seat. He was in a really bad mood. His plan for getting expelled had heavily involved Jax. He needed to be expelled in such a monumental way that Yancy wouldn’t take him, and only Jax was able to create the amount of drama that would achieve that. How was he supposed to get kicked out now?

The second bell rang, and Percy stood up to get his things. One thing he loved about art class was that the teacher, Mr. Way, didn’t care what they worked on in class as long as it was art related. The older man had taught them all about painting and sketching at the beginning of the semester and now let them run free.

Percy decided to work on his final project. They had all semester to do it and it was the coolest project on his to-do list.

He sat far away from his classmates and pulled his black and dirty make-up pencil case out of his bag. Even after several days of bringing his make-up case to school, it still felt too intimate, too alien to see it on a school desk. The project was to draw a portrait using unconventional sources of colour and using make-up had seemed like a natural choice. Still, Percy didn’t want anyone to see he was using make-up for his portrait of his mom on Montauk. He didn’t need people thinking he was more of a freak than they already thought.

Percy had been surprised about how much he liked art- and he was good at it. He loved how practical the learning was and was now glad that the administration had picked the class for him. He’d hated the idea first, but he found each class therapeutic. It was the only class he didn’t have to worry about sitting in one seat, reading flying letters or solving equations made complicated by his writing the wrong numbers.

It felt weird, using his make-up at school; like a dangerous collision of his darkest secrets and his everyday life. He looked down at his left wrist while he was working on his mom’s hair. He’d have to be careful not to brush his wrist against the portrait, like he had done in math before. His wrist left a beige mark wherever it touched, and it had been much more difficult to cover than the rest of his body. Primer, concealer, and powder foundation covered angry finger marks from the night before, when Percy had gotten Gabe’s beer too slow. Percy thought about possibly investing in body foundation- if there was such a thing.

“Wow!”

Percy was whipped out of his thoughts. He flinched away from the girl that stood beside him now, staring at his portrait. He resisted the huge urge to throw the whole project away.

“You’re doing that with _make-up_? It looks amazing! I didn’t know boys could do make-up!”

“Okay- sshhhh!”

The girl was in the grade below him. He didn’t know her name and had never spoken to her, because the fourth graders usually stayed in their corner with their projects. But this girl was giving him a big, toothy smile. Her black hair was in thick braids, and she was wearing an almost painful assortment of neon clothing.

“Why?”

Percy looked around to see if anyone was watching them. “Because, uh- because it’s a secret!”

The girl scrunched her face in confusion. “What is?”

“Um, um, boys doing make-up!” Percy put his index finger to his mouth. “No one is supposed to know.”

“Why?”

Percy groaned, searching for answers he didn’t have. “Because most of them are allergic.”

“To make-up?”

“Yes”

“Aren’t you allergic?”

“uh- no”

“So, you’re not a boy?”

“What? Yes, I am a boy! I’m just…. Immune.”

“Huh.” The girl took a long look at his portrait. Percy wished she would leave. “Okay!” He sighed in relief. “But who’s that?” The girl pointed at Percy’s mom.

“That’s, uh, that’s you!”

The girl looked up at Percy, wide-eyed. “Me?”

“Yeah! But you have to go now- I can’t finish it if you’re watching me, can I?”

The girl nodded earnestly. Finally, she walked past Percy’s desk.

Exhaling heavily, Percy sat down. “You’re such an idiot” he told himself.

Before he could continue his project, he noticed a piece of paper on the ground. Percy picked it up and realized it was the consent form for the social studies field trip- it must have fallen out when he pulled out his pencil case. He looked at his mom’s signature, remembering what she had told him yesterday about going to boarding school.

He couldn’t leave. He knew if he wasn’t there to take the brunt of Gabe’s anger, Gabe would probably turn on his mom. The thought of that made him shiver with fury-

Percy looked at the consent form. Fieldtrips. They’ve always been his weakness.

Percy smiled.

He knew how he was going to get expelled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly love hearing what you guys think, whether kudos or comment, good or bad- feedback of any kind is greatly appreciate. Love you all


	12. Saratoga Battlefield

It definitely wasn’t much- but as soon as Percy laid eyes on it, he knew it was enough.

It looked painfully old-fashioned and rusty, with two wheels almost as tall as Percy himself. The metal was turning blue with age, only held in place with flimsy, wooden boxes that held the gunpowder.

The Revolutionary War cannon.

It was perfect. The class was stood around the ancient cannon now, listening to the tour guide. It was the first thing they had seen coming out of the school bus, and the sight of a cannon had all the kids buzzing with excitement. Percy almost felt drawn to it. He had the distinct feeling he knew exactly how to set it off if he could just get his hands on the gunpowder…

“Mr. Jackson?” Percy looked up at the call. Ms. Gould was giving him the exact same disconcerted look all his teachers gave him when he smiled. He wiped his thoughts out of his mind and tried to look as innocent as he could.

“Hmm?”

This was the first time he was alone with Ms. Gould, but Percy knew she had already decided he was a student she should watch. The rest of the class was already on to the next artifact, guided by the trip chaperones, and here she was, giving him a cautious look. “I don’t know how to feel about that look of infatuation on your face.”

Percy didn’t know what ‘infatuation’ meant, but he didn’t want to ask. He often got the feeling that adults purposely used big words to seem smarter.

He shrugged. “Cannons are cool.”

Ms. Gould smiled patronizingly. “They sure are. Now, how about we move on…”

* * *

Percy knew he had never been so focused in his life. When the tour guide finally announced that they were taking a break and heading to the lunch hall, he made sure no one was looking as he slipped into the washrooms right outside. There, he ripped off his bright green school bib and threw it into the garbage can. Now, he looked like a regular kid on an outing with his parents, heading back to the parking lot after going to the washroom.

Calmly, so as not to draw attention to himself, Percy walked out of the washrooms and barely glanced at the last of his school’s chaperones filing into the old lunch building. Percy knew he only had a couple of minutes until they did a head count of the students during lunch- or until Ms. Gould noticed the ADHD kid was missing.

Excitement flared through his limbs, but he forced himself to walk evenly and slowly. As far as anyone else knew, he was just a regular kid, heading to the parking lot… that just happened to be awfully close to the Revolutionary War cannon…

The closer he got to the rusty chunk of a weapon, the more Percy got the feeling that something strong, something unfamiliar was taking over his body. Months later he would learn it was a sense of confidence, an innate familiarity with weaponry he was born with, that guided his steps. But, for now, he didn’t care what it was. He couldn’t go to Yancy; he couldn’t leave his mom alone with Gabe. So, he did the only thing he could do- the only thing he was good at; _getting expelled_.

The magnetic force of the cannon got stronger the closer it was. Percy had to pull himself away from it to get to the parking lot. He couldn’t help the spring in his step as he swooped down on the gravel of the carpark and picked up two perfectly sized flint stones that he had been eyeing as soon as the cannon had filled his plans to get expelled. He shoved the stones in his pocket and walked to the cannon, climbing on its back.

His eyes caught sight of his blue shoelaces for a moment as he climbed and suddenly his mind was miles away from the Saratoga Battlefield. Mother’s Day was in a month. Percy didn’t have any money to buy his mom anything because Gabe had taken his money. He felt bad.

Percy shook his head, focusing on the canon again. He opened one of the wooden boxes he had seen and briefly wondered if the park staff would really leave gunpowder by a working war cannon… there it was. He reached to fill the cannon…

His mom would be so disappointed. She had worked so hard to get him to Yancy.

Percy wondered what he would do for Mother’s Day. He had hoped he’d be able to do more than just the regular ‘fast food and a rented movie’ tradition. It was all he could give her, but she deserved so much more.

The gunpowder dyed his hands grey. He heard the stones grate against each other in his pocket.

What if his mom wouldn’t even want a gift from him after this?

The cannon was prepped. His hands moved around it expertly, like he’d been working with rusty, ancient, American war cannons his whole life.

_I cannot go to Yancy_, he chanted in his head.

Percy took the flint stones out of his pockets and placed them on the wooden box. A lighter would’ve been more convenient, but he was sure he could make it work.

_I _can’t_ leave her alone with Gabe_.

He aimed the cannon into the evergreen trees that fenced the parking lot. He wondered how many of them he could get with one shot.

Percy heard commotion behind him. His mind drowned out the screaming and the footsteps. A numb buzzing filled his ears.

_I need something big…_

Percy repositioned the cannon and smiled greedily as the sparks flew from the rocks he struck together.

The last thing he saw before Percy was flung backwards was the yellow of what once was a large, intact school bus.

* * *

Yelling.

Shrugging.

Threats.

More shrugging.

Percy kept his mouth shut through it all. His teachers, the park staff, security, every adult within a five-mile radius seemed to be yelling at him through the smell of gunpowder, thick in the air.

He ignored them all. Soon enough, they started yelling at each other. The teachers were at fault for leaving a child unattended. The staff were at fault for leaving a war cannon unattended. Everyone else wanted to know who to report to their car insurance. Percy was numb to it.

They even threatened to call the police.

_Go for it_, Percy thought. _No way a private school would take in a delinquent._

It wasn’t long before all parties decided against that idea. It seemed that, with everyone equally at fault, police-involvement would bring unwelcome accountability.

Two hours later, Percy was sat at school, waiting for his mom to pick him up at the office. The class had been taken back in taxis and ushered back into their classes. Ms. Gould and the other teachers seemed to be desperately trying to smooth things over with the principal and the administration.

After Percy had been driven past the ruins of the school bus, a spark of guilt caught in his gut. He tried to ignore it. He tried to douse it as it grew into a flame, filling his stomach with dread. His mom had always been on his side. She understood him, she learned to read him. She always protected him from insensitive teachers or uneducated adults. But Percy was always there for her too.

He was always honest with her- telling her when he had done his best or when he hadn’t. He made the best of moving around, never giving her a hard time when he had to start another first day. He gave her his word that he would try his best, he would try to stay out of trouble- and he had intended to keep it.

Percy was protecting his mom, but it was killing him that he couldn’t tell her why. After seeing the bus, torn to shreds and smouldering, Percy had felt his heart slowly ripping apart. He could already see her face, trying to understand him, trying to make sense of his actions- trying to be on his side. Percy knew she wouldn’t be able to this time. She would have to take the brunt of his expulsion, and she would have to deal with the aftermath with Yancy.

He knew Gabe would be waiting for him at home; livid and eager to take it out on Percy- but, for the first time, Percy was more scared of seeing his mom.

* * *

“Percy…”

He was lying in his bed, his duvet covering his head and his tears. He hated that he was crying- he was way too old for that. His mom had been so, so quiet. The first thing she had done was check if he was okay. The second thing she had done was tell Percy to collect his things from his locker as she spoke to the principal. Percy could still see her standing there, dignified in her colourful work uniform, refusing to let anyone make her feel ashamed of her son. The sound of her calm voice responding to the principal’s outraged scorns rang through Percy’s head over and over again, haunting him.

He didn’t turn around as she called him now. He could feel her at his door, gazing at the back of his head, trying to make sense of it all. Her voice was still calm and quiet, desperate not to anger her monster of a husband. Percy felt like such a jerk not turning around. He was a coward. He couldn’t face her after what he had done to her.

She sighed. Percy heard her turn to leave. “Percy, honey… Gabe and I decided I should go back to work.” Fury boiled in Percy’s fingers. He had heard the man screech at his mom to go back to work from the kitchen. “I _want_ to talk about this, baby. I want to know what’s going on.”

She paused as dread filled Percy’s body. He wanted her to stay, he wanted her to understand. A smaller, cowardly part of him wanted her to protect him from the pain he knew would come as soon as she closed the front door. Percy felt her shifting on her feet, stalling in case he wanted to say something.

“Honey- I…” Percy’s pillow was wet with guilty tears. “I love you, Percy. Nothing can stop that. I will always love you more than anything in the world.” She paused again. Percy’s heart turned in on itself; his face scrunched in pain as he forced himself to stay quiet. “I’ll be home soon.”

Percy heard his mom leave. She closed his door and he allowed himself to heave in air, his shoulders trembling. Familiar sounds of his mom collecting her things to go to work reached his ears, and he listened to the noises desperately, forcing himself to ignore the fear that was pulsing with his blood.

He heard heavy footsteps shuffling in the kitchen; he wondered if he would survive to have that chat with his mom.

Percy heard the front door open, his breath hitching. He frowned as he heard it slam shut again, followed by urgent footsteps to his door. He forced himself to stay still as his door opened carefully, even as his mom’s voice filled the room again.

“If… If you’re worried about Yancy Academy rescinding your enrollment because of this, Percy, don’t be. I called them before and they said they would still take you, on some conditions.” Percy froze, his eyes wide. “I don’t want you to worry about that, honey- if that’s why you’re upset. They said… with some school counselling…- well, I’ll tell you later. Love you.”

With that, she left; the sound of the front door closing echoing through the apartment.

Percy’s heart pounded.

_It didn’t work._

Blood rushed to his ears, almost drowning out the noise of the heavy footsteps, right outside his door.

_It didn’t work,_ was all Percy could think as his door flung open.


	13. A Gut Feeling

“Percy Jackson!”

Percy groaned. He just wanted to be alone for a while.

There were unshed tears in his eyes. He was tired, he was sore. His mom had just dropped him off at Yancy Academy, and they’d said goodbye to each other in his new dorm. She’d told him she couldn’t wait to see him at Christmas, and that she was excited for him to focus on school.

He knew his mom was trying to make this easier on both of them, but he didn’t miss the quiver in her voice, or the way her body shook when she hugged him tightly. This would be the longest they’d ever been away from each other, and for that, Percy already hated this place.

After his mom left, Percy put down his few things and claimed the bed under the big, old window. There were two beds in his room, so he knew he’d have to share, but he’d had his eye on this bed since he came in. The view of the woods that surrounded Yancy and the Hudson River in the distance made him feel a little less homesick- even if he was still getting used to the smell of pine trees.

He’d had to leave behind his make-up bag, his skateboard, all the things that made him feel less vulnerable. Percy shivered as he stood alone in the room. He promised his mom he would write as often as he could, but he had the feeling he might not be here for very long.

Percy whipped around as his dorm door opened and his name was called. His eyes widened as a familiar face walked through the door: the acne, the wispy beard, the crutches, and that brightly coloured rasta cap.

Percy cursed himself for forgetting the boy’s name. He remembered his last name sounding weirdly close to underwear…

“Uh- Underwood?”

“Grover Underwood, yeah.” The boy smiled toothily, happy that Percy had remembered him.

Percy shook his head in disbelief. He’d completely forgotten about meeting Grover at the tryouts and hadn’t even thought of seeing him here again. It seemed like such a crazy coincidence, but Percy couldn’t help but feel glad to at least know someone already.

“We’re dorm buddies!”

Percy smiled hesitantly. Grover’s excited and slightly nervous nature made him instantly likeable, but Percy hadn’t had many friends before. He didn’t really know where to start.

The boy in front of him walked to the other bed in the room.

“I waited ‘til you came in to choose your bed. I thought that would help with, you know, moving in…”

Percy frowned. Grover sounded like he’d been here before, but they were only in sixth grade. “Uh-” he wanted to ask Grover how old he was because he looked slightly older than Percy, who couldn’t even dream of growing a beard yet, but didn’t know how to put the question. Plus, Percy had been through enough special ed classes to know not to ask if someone was too old for their grade.

It hit him that maybe Grover wanted the window bed. “Oh, do you- uh,” he didn’t really want to give up his window bed, but he didn’t want to be a jerk to the only person he knew at Yancy. “Did you want to sleep by the window?”

“Oh, no,” Grover laughed nervously. He eyed the window as if he expected something to jump through it any second. “No, I, I definitely prefer this one” he said as he patted his own bed.

Percy nodded and sat down on his bed, trying to think of a question to ask.

“How was your summer?” Grover offered.

Percy shuddered internally when he thought back to the last three months. This morning, while packing his clothes, Percy realized he was surprised he’d survived the summer. He hadn’t admitted it to himself yet, but a deep, dark part of himself was glad he was finally away from that apartment, from that monster. Since his last expulsion, Gabe had been relentless, and Percy had been forced to turn in on himself. He’d discovered a place in his head where he could hide because it was dark there.

His mom thought her son had withdrawn himself because he didn’t want to go to boarding school, and it tore her apart. Secretly, however, Percy had been longing to get away. He hated himself for it, because he knew he was abandoning his mom, but the last three months had shown him pain like he’d never felt since he first met Gabe. Now, opposite Grover, part of him hoped he could rebuild himself in time until he needed to face it again.

“It was awesome! I basically lived at the skate-park…”

* * *

Percy could pinpoint the exact moment his life really flew off the rails, and, of course, it happened on a fieldtrip.

He should have known. He should have known as soon as Mr. Brunner announced the fieldtrip. Or as soon as the headmaster pulled him aside to threaten him over his explosive fieldtrip resume. Or even as soon as Nancy Bobofit made it her personal mission to get him suspended.

But he didn’t.

Instead, something was unleashed inside him.

When Nancy dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover’s lap, a familiar sensation washed through him. He had felt it so many times: when he was scared, in danger, angry, or all of the above. A tugging in his gut. A knowledge that he had the power to stop whatever was threatening him- he had the power to _end_ it.

For years, he ignored the tugging. It had been too risky. If he wanted to protect his mom, he would have to ignore his pain and push away his gut feelings. He’d have to take it, for his mom.

But Gabe wasn’t here. His mom wasn’t here.

“Oops.” Nancy grinned at him with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

Percy tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told him a million times: "count to ten, get control of your temper." But he was so mad his mind went blank. A wave roared in his ears.

Percy didn’t remember touching her, but the next thing he knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain.

For the first time in his life, he felt powerful.

* * *

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

My name is Percy Jackson.

I’m twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

Am I a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop a quick comment to tell me what you thought!


	14. Son of Poseidon

There was a part of Percy that was still convinced he was in the weirdest, longest dream he ever dreamt. Standing in front of his father now, after losing his mom, being told the truth about himself, going on the quest, almost dying an ungodly amount of times, and finding his mom again felt surreal. Montauk felt so long ago. He had been so much younger then- there had been so much he didn’t know.

He couldn’t believe he was stood on Olympus, unscathed after the gods argued if he deserved to live or not. Even less so, he couldn’t believe that this wasn’t even the weirdest thing he’d experienced in the last month.

The throne room was empty now, apart from Percy and his father.

He still didn’t know what to feel about Poseidon. Grover was right- part of him did want to please his father. Another part, however, wanted to tell him how much he and his mom had needed him- how much he had called out for help. But Percy knew now why Poseidon hadn’t been able to be there with them, and secretly he was glad that the reason wasn’t personal. Throughout the quest he kept being reminded of the many times his father had helped him, and Percy hadn’t known.

Another jolt of realization ran through him. That night… before the swim-team tryouts…

Percy shook the thought out of his head when he heard Poseidon speaking to him.

A faint smile played on his father’s lips. Percy was struck with how warm and unafraid he felt around his real dad. “Obedience does not come naturally to you, does it?”

“No ... sir.”

“I must take some blame for that, I suppose. The sea does not like to be restrained.” He rose to his full height and took up his trident. Then he shimmered and became the size of a regular man, standing directly in front of Percy, who tried to ignore the pride that shone through him. Even something as simple as attributing his characteristics to his father felt so _intimate_\- he finally felt like he belonged to someone. “You must go, child. But first, know that your mother has returned.”

Percy stared at Poseidon, completely stunned. “My mother?”

“You will find her at home. Hades sent her when you recovered his helm. Even the Lord of Death pays his debts.”

Percy’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t believe it. The thought of going home and seeing her there, waiting for him. He fought the urge to jump off Olympus to see her. “Do you ... would you ...”

He wanted to ask if Poseidon would come with him to see her, but Percy stopped, realizing that was ridiculous. He imagined loading the God of the Sea into a taxi and taking him to the Upper East Side. _If_ _he’d wanted to see my mom all these years, he would have. _

And there was Smelly Gabe to think about.

Poseidon’s eyes took on a little sadness. Percy had the distinct feeling that his dad knew why his heart pounded and his hands sweated every time he thought of Gabe. After all, he was a god. “When you return home, Percy, you must make an important choice. You will find a package waiting in your room.”

“A package?”

“You will understand when you see it. No one can choose your path, Percy. You must decide.”

Percy nodded, though he didn’t know what his dad meant.

“Your mother is a queen among women,” Poseidon said wistfully. “I had not met such a mortal woman in a thousand years. Still... I am sorry you were born, child. I have brought you a hero’s fate, and a hero’s fate is never happy. It is never anything but tragic.”

The young boy frowned, trying to ignore how much his father’s words stung. Maybe he had been stupid to think he belonged here, with his father. Maybe he was cursed with stupid, mean fathers who thought he was a waste of space- because here was his own dad, telling Percy he was sorry he’d been born. Percy swallowed hard, scolding himself for getting attached to a god. “I don’t mind, Father.”

“Not yet, perhaps,” Poseidon said. “Not yet. But it was an unforgivable mistake on my part.”

“I’ll leave you then.” Percy bowed awkwardly; fists clenched. “I-I won’t bother you again.”

He was five steps away when his father called, “Perseus.”

Percy turned.

There was a different light in his eyes, a fiery kind of pride. “You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.”

A strange feeling filled Percy; a feeling so strong it radiated off him. It felt odd, unfamiliar, because Percy had only ever felt it in connection to his mother. He knew it as the type of joy that came from making her proud, and he had only ever felt pride from her.

Now, here in the throne room, surrounded by gigantic, godly thrones, he finally realized what it meant to have a father.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, still in a trance, Percy was back on the streets of Manhattan.

He caught a taxi to the apartment, rang the doorbell, and there she was- his beautiful mother, smelling of peppermint and licorice, the weariness and worry evaporating from her face as soon as she saw her boy.

“Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby.”

She crushed the air right out of him. They stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through Percy’s hair.

Admittedly, Percy’s eyes were a little misty, too. He was shaking- he was so relieved to see her.

She told Percy she’d just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. She didn’t remember anything since the Minotaur, and couldn’t believe it when Gabe told her Percy was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She’d been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn’t heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month’s salary to make up and she’d better get started.

Percy swallowed back his anger and told her his own story. He tried to make it sound less scary than it had been, but that wasn’t easy. He was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe’s voice interrupted from the living room. “Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?”

Percy grit his teeth. After the quest and facing so many monsters, Percy wanted nothing more than to turn Gabe into a pile of dust too. He felt stronger than ever, more confident than he was before. His mom deserved so much more.

Percy slowly unclenched his fists. He still remembered his deal with Gabe. As long as Percy was around to take Gabe’s anger, his mom would be okay- and it seemed that Gabe had held to that deal while Percy was at Yancy, too. He couldn’t risk anything else.

His mom closed her eyes. “He isn’t going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles ... something about free appliances.”

Percy kicked himself for being so cocky. On the quest he’d been away from Gabe for so long, he’d forgotten what the man was capable of. “Oh, yeah. About that...”

She managed a weak smile. “Just don’t make him angrier, all right? Come on.”

In the month they’d been gone, the apartment had turned into Gabeland. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been reupholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades.

Gabe and three of his big goony friends were playing poker at the table.

When Gabe saw Percy, his cigar dropped out of his mouth. His face got redder than lava. “You got nerve coming here, you little punk. I thought the police-“

“He’s not a fugitive after all,” my mom interjected. “Isn’t that wonderful, Gabe?”

Gabe looked back and forth between Percy and his mom. Percy’s heart was pounding. Gabe didn’t seem to think his homecoming was so wonderful.

“Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally,” he growled. “Get me the phone. I’ll call the cops.”

“Gabe, no!” His mom yelled as Percy flinched. He knew his mom meant well, but Gabe _really_ hated being told ‘no’. Percy tried to stay as quiet as possible.

The ugly man raised his eyebrows. “Did you just say ‘no’? You think I’m gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro.”

Percy’s mom stepped forward. “But-“

Gabe raised his hand, and his mom flinched.

Percy only saw red. For the first time, he realized something- something so horrible, he had to fight to stop himself from attacking Gabe.

_“If she hears one word out of you, she’s gonna get it so bad.”_ Gabe had said. _“We’ll call this… uh- our little guy secret, eh?”_

Suddenly, something in Percy’s memory clicked.

_“Got the Jacksons all figured out, don’t I?”_

Gabe had hit his mother. He didn’t know when, or how much, but Percy was sure he’d done it. Maybe it had been going on for years, when he wasn’t around.

All this time, Percy had thought he was protecting his mom. Using her makeup to cover up the bruises, taking the brunt of Gabe’s anger; only to find out that he had been _taking turns_.

A balloon of fury started expanding in Percy’s chest. The feeling he felt as he stepped towards Gabe, taking riptide out of his pocket was nothing short of inhuman.

Gabe just laughed. “What, punk? You gonna write on me? You touch me, and you are going to jail forever, you understand?”

“Hey, Gabe,” his friend Eddie interrupted. “He’s just a kid.”

Gabe looked at him resentfully and mimicked in a falsetto voice: “just a kid.”

His other friends laughed like idiots.

“I’ll be nice to you, punk.” Gabe showed Percy his tobacco-stained teeth. “I’ll give you five minutes to get your stuff and clear out. After that, I call the police.”

“Gabe!” His mother pleaded.

“He ran away,” Gabe told her. Percy couldn’t stand that monster talking, even looking at his mom. “Let him stay gone.”

Percy was itching to uncap Riptide, but even if he did, the blade wouldn’t hurt humans. And Gabe, by the loosest definition, was human.

His mom took Percy’s arm. “Please, Percy. Come on. We’ll go to your room.”

Percy let her pull him away, his hands still trembling with rage.

His room had been completely filled with Gabe’s junk. In there were stacks of used car batteries, a rotting bouquet of sympathy flowers with a card from somebody who’d seen his Barbara Walters interview.

“Gabe is just upset, honey,” his mother told him. “I’ll talk to him later. I’m sure it will work out.”

Percy found her eyes, desperately wishing she had told him. He was thinking about telling her everything Gabe had done to him, but decided then that he couldn’t tell her. His mom had been through too much- she had done so much for him, endured so much pain. Percy couldn’t get himself to make her hurt even more. No- she will never know.

“Mom, it’ll never work out. Not as long as Gabe’s here.”

She wrung her hands nervously. “I can ... I’ll take you to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there’s another boarding school-“

“Mom.”

She lowered her eyes. “I’m trying, Percy. I just... I need some time.”

A package appeared on the bed. At least, Percy could’ve sworn it hadn’t been there a moment before.

It was a battered cardboard box about the right size to fit a basketball. The address on the mailing slip was in his handwriting:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

Over the top in black marker, in a man’s clear, bold print, was the address of our apartment, and the words: RETURN TO SENDER.

Suddenly, Percy understood what Poseidon had told him on Olympus.

A package. A decision.

_“Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.”_

He looked at his mother. “Mom, do you want Gabe gone?

“Percy, it isn’t that simple. I-“

“Mom, just tell me. That jerk has been hitting you. Do you want him gone or not?”

She hesitated, then nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yes, Percy. I do. And I’m trying to get up my courage to tell him. But you can’t do this for me. You can’t solve my problems.”

Percy looked at the box.

He could solve her problem. He wanted to slice that package open, plop it on the poker table, and take out what was inside. He could start his very own statue garden, right there in the living room.

_That’s what a Greek hero would do in the stories,_ he thought. _That’s what Gabe deserves._

But a hero’s story always ended in tragedy. Poseidon had told him that.

Percy remembered the Underworld. He thought about Gabe’s spirit drifting forever in the Fields of Asphodel, or condemned to some hideous torture behind the barbed wire of the Fields of Punishment- an eternal poker game, sitting up to his waist in boiling oil listening to opera music.

_Do I have the right to send someone there? Even Gabe?_

A month ago, Percy wouldn’t have hesitated. Now, with his mom looking at him with pleading eyes...

“I can do it,” he told his mom. “One look inside this box, and he’ll never bother you again.”

She glanced at the package and seemed to understand immediately. “No, Percy,” she said, stepping away. “You can’t.”

“Poseidon called you a queen,” he told her pleadingly. “He said he hadn’t met a woman like you in a thousand years.”

Her cheeks flushed. It had been so long since he’d spoken to his mother so candidly, and it felt _so good_. “Percy-“

“You deserve better than this, Mom. You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don’t need to protect me anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him.”

She wiped a tear off her cheek. “You sound so much like your father,” she said. “He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Her multicoulored eyes seemed to search inside him. “I think you know, Percy. I think you’re enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can’t let a god take care of me... or my son. I have to... find the courage on my own. Your quest has reminded me of that.”

They listened to the sound of poker chips and swearing, ESPN from the living room television.

“I’ll leave the box,” Percy said. “If he threatens you ...”

She looked pale, but she nodded. “Where will you go, Percy?”

“Half-Blood Hill.”

“For the summer ... or forever?”

“I guess that depends.”

They locked eyes and Percy sensed that they had an agreement. They would see how things stood at the end of the summer.

She kissed his forehead. “You’ll be a hero, Percy. You’ll be the greatest of all.”

Percy took one last look around his bedroom. He had a feeling he’d never see it again. Then, he walked with his mother to the front door and briefly, through the open door to his mom’s room, caught sight of the portrait he had drawn out of make-up of his mom on Montauk, so long ago.

“Leaving so soon, punk?” Gabe called after the boy. “Good riddance.”

Percy had one last twinge of doubt. How could he turn down the perfect chance to take revenge on Gabe?

He was leaving here without saving his mom.

“Hey, Sally,” the man yelled. “What about that meat loaf, huh?”

A steely look of anger flared in his mother’s eyes, and Percy thought, just maybe, he was leaving her in good hands after all. Her own.

“The meat loaf is coming right up, dear,” she told Gabe. “Meat loaf surprise.”

She looked at her beautiful son and his gorgeous green eyes, and winked.

The last thing Percy saw as the door swung closed was his mother staring at Gabe, as if she were contemplating how he would look as a garden statue.

* * *

“What are you going to do?” Annabeth asked him.

“I don’t know.”

She pursed her lips. “You won’t try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least ... not without sending me an Iris-message?”

Percy managed a smile. His bandaged hand was throbbing and his body was still sore from the scorpion venom, but he refused to miss the chance to see his best friend off. “I won’t go looking for trouble. I usually don’t have to.”

“When I get back next summer,” she said, “we’ll hunt down Luke. We’ll ask for a quest, but if we don’t get approval, we’ll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?”

“Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena.”

She held out her hand. Percy shook it.

“Take care, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth told him.

When he had first heard that nickname, he hated it. It reminded him of all the reasons he felt inadequate. Now though, he was glad to have made such an amazing friend. He thought of Grover and how lucky he was that the satyr and his green rasta cap had spotted him at the try-outs. He couldn’t imagine where he’d be now if it wasn’t for his newfound family.

“Keep your eyes open.” She said.

“You too, Wise Girl.”

He watched her walk up the hill and join her family. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. Annabeth touched Thalia’s pine tree, then allowed herself to be led over the crest and into the mortal world.

For the first time at camp, Percy felt truly alone. He looked out at Long Island Sound and he remembered his father saying: _the sea does not like to be restrained._

He made his decision.

Percy wondered, if Poseidon were watching, would he approve of his choice?

“I’ll be back next summer,” Percy promised him. “I’ll survive until then. After all, I am your son.”

He asked Argus to take him down to cabin three, so he could pack his bags for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof. Let me tell you, weaving my own writing into Rick's was a lot harder than it sounds.


	15. Aphrodite Cabin

“How do we know the cabin’s empty?”

“Jason, I already told you, like, fifty times. Aphrodite has archery from 10:30 to lunch.”

The blond boy scoffed as he crouched by the pink door, waiting for his girlfriend to find her cabin keys in her jacket. “As if they actually go.”

“Hey!” Piper hissed. “Aphrodite’s still my cabin.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She was crouching behind Leo, wondering if this was a good idea. She really wanted to get back at Drew for the perfume bomb she’d left in Bunker 9, but she knew enough about Aphrodite to fear her wrath.

She smiled to herself. _Bring it on_.

“Piper, hurry it up!” She hissed.

“Ah!” Piper held up her keys triumphantly. “Found them!”

“Okay, okay- shhh!” Leo looked around anxiously. “Pipes, we are literally in broad daylight.”

Annabeth heard a snort behind her. “What’s wrong, Leo? Scared Drew’s gonna give you another perm?”

She looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend. His gorgeous green eyes met hers and she saw they were alive with excitement, lit up in a way only wreaking havoc could incite. Annabeth loved that look. When Percy’s eyes matched his lopsided smile, she knew they were in for a fun night.

Leo shuddered in front of her. “My hair did not look good straight.”

Behind Percy, Hazel laughed. Annabeth saw Frank smile next to his girlfriend as he said, “I still think you rocked it, Leo.”

“Yeah,” Hazel insisted, her smile twitching. “You looked like One Direction!”

Leo recoiled on the balls of his feet. “Uh, Hazel? I know you’re still figuring out this whole ‘pop-culture’ thing, but that is not a compliment.”

“Leo, hush.” Piper called behind her. She grinned evilly. “We’re in.”

Jason sighed in relief as the seven demigods spilled into the room, glad to stretch from all that crouching.

Piper was stood in the middle of the room, arms spread dramatically. “Welcome, everyone, to Cabin 10.”

Annabeth smirked and shoved Piper as she walked into the room.

“Hey!” Piper laughed.

Percy scanned the room, wondering where he should start. None of them had a plan on how to get back at the Aphrodite Cabin, but he knew it had to be good. The seven had been forced to abandon Bunker 9 and find another hangout place for a week after the perfume bomb, and Leo missed the place like crazy.

Drew couldn’t get away easy.

His eyes flickered to the longest vanity table he had ever seen; illuminated with white light and stacked with mirrors and makeup. Percy stared at it as he was threatened with buried memories.

He jumped as Jason clapped his back. The son of Jupiter followed his line of vision to the makeup and smirked at Percy. “I like your style.”

Percy pushed his thoughts away and raised an eyebrow. “What can I say? I didn’t get kicked out of seven schools for being a model student.”

Frank arrived next to Percy, shaking his head. “Every time you talk about your school education, I get shivers everywhere.”

Percy laughed.

“Wow Frank,” Leo walked past the boys to the vanity table. “Didn’t know you felt about Percy like that.”

Frank flushed deep red. “That’s not what I-”

Annabeth snorted.

“Hey Pipes?” Jason called out as she was taking off one of her socks and slipping it into Drew’s pillowcase. “How much of a no-go is the Aphrodite kids’ make-up?”

Piper’s eyes widened as she saw the boys staring at the vanity table. The shock on her face was slowly replaced with a mischievous expression. “It’s completely hands-off. Forbidden territory.” Piper nodded at Jason. “Give it hell.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the vanity table was covered with open make-up pallets and powdered brushes.

Leo was sat on Jason’s lap, who had just accepted it after pushing him off so many times. Jason could smell the oil and the scent of metal seeping off of his best friend as he allowed Leo to draw on his face.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” Jason grumbled.

Leo shushed him and squinted his eyes, concentrated on the task at hand. He had to get the clown make-up just right... “You said you’d let me do whatever I wanted. Stay still.”

Jason caught sight of Frank, who had been cornered on the opposite side of the vanity table.

Piper was piling the boy’s face with dramatic contour while he tried not to cough through the powder in the air. It was clear to Frank that this daughter of Aphrodite hadn’t been gifted with the skill of make-up, but he stayed as still as he could, just glad that Piper was having fun. At least his scalp felt amazing. Hazel was trying to texture his thick, black hair with a sponge brush she had found, but his hair wouldn’t allow it. It felt amazing on his head though, and his heart fluttered every time Hazel huffed in frustration.

Annabeth was sat, forcing herself to remain perfectly still, slightly angled towards the light of the vanity table. Percy was sitting opposite her. His mouth was slightly open and he was breathing heavily through his nose, the way he often did when he was absent-minded. Every now and then she would catch him smile faintly- he was so comfortable with make-up. She hadn’t even looked at herself in the mirror yet, because she was so taken by the boy sitting in front of her, hands gently moving her face to where he needed it, brushes tickling her skin. Annabeth wasn’t sure she had ever seen her boyfriend so focused outside of a fight. She usually hated make-up, but something about this moment was so intimate, she caught herself falling in love with Percy all over again.

She knew, of course, what make-up meant to Percy. Annabeth also knew she was the only one who did. Yet another part of her knew that Percy would never have told her if she hadn’t questioned him about it.

Annabeth always knew Percy had a tense relationship with his stepfather. When they first met, the boy had been untrusting, sarcastic, almost callous. Annabeth, young and naïve herself, had assumed this was because Percy didn’t like her. But, as the two grew closer over the years and she became part of a small group of people that Percy trusted and protected, she began to grow suspicious.

Her best friend, a warrior, an excellent swordsman, and a dangerous demigod flinched at sudden movements. Any mention of his stepfather was enough to freeze him and make him distant. Whenever something angered him or made him feel powerless, Percy would be reminded of the man that had lived with them for so long. Then there was the story of Medusa’s head and his stepfather’s mysterious disappearance. Even after that, Percy had been painfully suspicious of Paul Blofis when the man first entered Percy and his mom’s life, and hadn’t wanted Annabeth to meet him until Percy himself was comfortable around the man.

She’d always known something was up, but it was the day they fell into Tartarus that she finally asked him about his stepfather.

_They were in Tartarus. _

_At their feet, the River Cocytus roared past, a flood of liquid wretchedness. The sulphurous air stung Annabeth’s lungs and prickled her skin. When she looked at her arms, she saw they were already covered with an angry rash. She tried to sit up and gasped in pain. _

_The beach wasn’t sand. They were sitting on a field of jagged black-glass chips, some of which were now embedded in Annabeth’s palms. _

_The air was acid. The water was misery. The ground was broken glass. Everything here was designed to hurt and kill. Annabeth took a rattling breath. This place smelled like everything she was afraid of: Arachne, her worst fights, the metallic smell of blood, an all-too-familiar cyclops lair._

_Next to her, Percy coughed. “This place smells like my ex-stepfather.”_

_Annabeth chuckled weakly. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but there it was again. They were in Tartarus, surrounded with horrific monsters and landscapes. The place was infected with terror and evil, and Annabeth could feel it seeping into her as they stood there._

_She couldn’t stand her stepmother either. So why didn’t this place remind Annabeth of her?_

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend now as he searched for his next utensil on the vanity table. She was so grateful that he trusted her with that part of his life; so grateful he had allowed her in. She uncharacteristically touched his cheek gently and he caught her eye, smiling. She hated that she couldn’t protect him from so much pain.

They gazed at each other for a moment, the sounds of the cabin drowning out.

A low whistle brought them back to reality. “Woah, Annabeth,” Jason stared at her. “You, you look-”

“You look like the most honorable clown I’ve ever met,” Percy laughed at Jason’s makeup. The bright shapes on Jason’s face did not pair well with his usual noble aura.

“_Leo_,” Jason whined as Leo joined Percy’s laughter.

“You look _stunning_.” Piper gasped, still staring at Percy’s masterpiece. Annabeth smirked at her as her best friend stammered to find words. “I mean, you always look hot, but- with the- you look-”

“Percy,” Hazel looked at Annabeth with wonder as her and Frank walked towards the pair. “You did that?”

Percy beamed at her. “She gave me a lot to work with.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes and gently pushed his face away.

“Uh- Frank,” Percy frowned, “what’s up with the…” He gestured to his face.

“Oh- this? Um, Piper-?”

Piper waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a work in progress.”

Leo snorted as he jumped off Jason’s lap. “Everything you do with make-up is a work in progress, Pipes.” He ducked Piper’s punch. “Percy, this looks really awesome! You almost made Annabeth look like…” he gasped with his hand over his mouth. “A girly-girl!”

Percy laughed as Annabeth threw a lip-gloss stick at Leo. “Shut it, Valdez.”

“Is this…” Jason stopped, thinking for a moment. “This isn’t a Poseidon thing, is it?”

Piper scoffed. “You mean the God of the Sea doubles as an Influencer?”

Jason chuckled at her. “I mean, you never know.”

“Or Percy’s just really good at art- right, Perce?” Frank asked.

Percy shrugged. He still had a smile on his face, but Annabeth could see it fade slightly. She knew that face.

“Or,” Leo piped up, “maybe we just unlocked Percy’s inner fashionista!”

“Alright, alright,” Annabeth waved him down half-jokingly. “Quit it.”

“Nah,” Percy looked at her gratefully for a moment, then looked at the rest of his friends. She realized he was at complete ease. “When I was younger, I got pretty good at covering marks on my skin with my mom’s make-up.”

His friends fell silent, realization dawning on them. Annabeth smiled at Percy, pride shining in her eyes.

* * *

Jason suddenly remembered the first time he had heard of Percy’s ex-stepfather. He had been with Thalia. It was one of those rare times they had together when they were both at Camp Half-Blood; they always just spent the time talking. There was constantly something to catch up on, whether it was a quest, a crazy story, Thalia’s memories from when Jason was a baby. This time, for whatever reason, they had been talking about their mother, and how it seemed that every demigod they were friends with was cursed with a horrible mortal parent.

“Except Frank.” Thalia was leaning back on her elbows by the strawberry fields, taking in the smell of the camp again. “Gotta love that hunky Canadian,” she chuckled.

Jason laughed. “And Percy.”

He looked over at his sister when he realized she had gone quiet. “What is it?”

Thalia stared at the waves on the other side of the camp, crashing into the sand. “I don’t think Percy counts…”

“What do you mean? Sally’s amazing! We visit her all the time, and-”

Thalia smiled softly. “I love her too, but I’m not talking about Sally.”

Jason sank into silence. Thalia didn’t have many words to say about Gabe Ugliano, and she had only suspicions, but after that day, Jason got the feeling that Percy had been fighting monsters from a very young age.

Piper was filled with numb pain. She had always sensed an underlying sadness, a veil of fear in Percy, since the day she met him. He was one of the strongest demigods she knew, but he didn’t have the confidence Jason had, or the security Hazel radiated. Whenever he spoke about himself it was to undermine his successes, to blame them on luck, or push them on Annabeth, or attribute them to fate. The guy had an incredibly low self-esteem, and Piper couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before.

She resisted the huge urge to hug him; Percy had become her fellow prankster, her likeminded troublemaker. There were things about him that Piper had always chalked up to his personality or his instincts, but now they all seemed so clear. Percy was a walking contradiction, completely unpredictable. He was too young to be burdened with such an ancient sadness. He was too carefree and cared about the rules too little to worry so much about getting in trouble. His instincts were too honed, his skills too experienced to wince at sudden movements. He seemed too powerful to withdraw when someone yelled or screamed.

It was Annabeth that had first told Piper about Gabe Ugliano. She had been hesitant to talk about Percy’s stepfather, even if Piper’s questions had been innocent enough. Piper was just curious, following Annabeth around on the Argo II, eager to meet Percy Jackson. Piper had asked about his family, and Annabeth had responded curtly and bitterly. _It’s just nerves_, Piper told herself. _She’s just excited to see Percy again_.

Piper looked at the couple in front of her now, both looking much older than they were. _If only_…

Leo had already known. He wasn’t sure how, because he hadn’t asked, and no one had told him. There wasn’t anything to ask, because to Leo, it was clear. The signs were plastered on Percy’s face.

Of course, Leo knew it took one to know one. He glanced around at his friends’ dumbfounded faces and realized that to them, it hadn’t seemed so obvious. Leo had assumed everyone already knew.

Maybe it was because Percy and Leo’s behaviour mirrored each other’s so perfectly. It hadn’t taken them months to realized the two of them were similar in the way they escaped from the same situations. Both Leo and Percy had recognized each other for what they were, and for this reason found solace in each other’s presence.

Piper and Jason knew about Leo’s past in his foster homes, but Percy _understood._ He understood when Leo joked to forget, and recognized the pain he was hiding. He understood when Leo left a loud counsellor meeting, because he couldn’t stand the yelling either. He understood when Leo locked himself in the Bunker alone, because he did the same thing at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Leo looked at Percy now, impressed by how easily he had told them. He watched as the boy caught his eye, smiling mischievously. They had an odd kind of kinship. It was in the bed that was always available in Cabin 3 when his cabin was too loud (Cabin 1 gave him the creeps.) It was in Percy insisting that Leo be his close combat partner in every class, because they understood which movements to avoid. It was in his walks on the beach with Annabeth and Percy when the campers got a little too intoxicated around the campfire.

As Leo looked at Percy and the rest of his friends in the cabin, he realized he understood again. This time, he understood why Percy had told his friends.

Hazel’s fingers itched with power; her eyes shone with tears. The first time she had ever heard of Gabe Ugliano was on her first quest.

She remembered their rickety boat struggling against the tides, being pulled along by Percy. Frank had fallen asleep- the only one who had been lucky enough to do so. Percy was sat at the top of the boat, looking tired and calm in the moonlight, hands moving every so often to steer the boat.

Hazel had watched him for a moment, still amazed to see the power a son of Neptune had.

She couldn’t sleep. The closer they got to Alaska, the worse her nightmares about her mother got. When she wasn’t dreaming or having flashbacks about the cave or that horrible voice, she was dreaming about her mother, and those memories sent shivers down her spine.

“Can’t sleep?”

Hazel looked up, shaking her head. She hadn’t known Percy for long, but he had this ability to draw words out of people by not expecting anything from them. He would be quiet, inviting words or silence, and only offered his own presence. It wasn’t long until she told him all about her mother.

Percy just listened to her, for which she was grateful. She was afraid if someone stopped her now, she would never finish what she had to say about her mother; how she had neglected Hazel, how she had hated her for most of her life.

Until today, Hazel had always wondered why, after the silence that followed Hazel’s confessions, Percy started to talk about his stepfather. He hadn’t said anything bad about him, nor did he confide in her about his being abused. Instead, Percy merely described Gabe Ugliano; every smell, every detail. Hazel fell asleep that night with anger coursing through her veins at a man she never met. She realized now what Percy had been trying to tell her.

Months later, that same anger pulsated through her body once more.

The first time Frank heard the name Gabe Ugliano was from Sally Jackson’s mouth. She had told him about a statue she just sold, named The Poker Player. Frank was so impressed and, while Sally’s smile grew slowly, he asked her many questions about how she did it, where she learned to make statues, which material she used.

She told him that the statue’s inspiration was her ex-husband, Gabe Ugliano.

“Where is your ex-husband now, Ms. Jackson?”

“Oh, I don’t really know.” She smiled at him softly. Frank was instantly reminded of his own mom. “I like to think a part of him is still in that statue, following it around wherever it goes…”

Frank hadn’t missed that smile on her face that made her look like her son for a moment. Frank liked the Jacksons. He felt welcomed and loved at their apartment, and Sally told them they were to visit her often. But, every now and then, Sally and Percy had an odd look on their face- maybe it was a trick of the light- which made Frank glad they were all on the same side. Percy had always told Frank that his mom is a formidable woman, and he didn’t doubt it for a second.

Suddenly, Frank remembered his first trip to the camp’s attic. He wasn’t sure why his brain was connecting the two memories, but he shuddered. Grover had taken him up there to clear it out. The satyr had hoped a Roman camper wouldn’t be too scared to visit the attic, and Frank had been too polite to say otherwise.

He walked past the trophies, the spoils of war, the pickled jars, and the broken armour.

Grover’s teeth chattered. “Woo! Am I glad Medusa’s head isn’t up here.”

“Who managed to kill Medusa?”

“Percy did.” Grover shuffled around, bleating nervously. “I mean, I distracted her with my amazing flying shoes, which turned out not to be so amazing. They were cursed and almost pulled me into Tartarus, and I have never been more scared in my whole-”

“Where is it?” Frank asked, amazed.

“Where’s what?”

“Medusa’s head?”

“Oh! Sally Jackson has it. Special permission from the gods.”

Frank’s jaw dropped open. He had so many questions. “Why-?”

“Aha!” Grover exclaimed suddenly. “Look what I found…”

* * *

“Wait…” Frank looked up at Percy, eyes wide. “Did- did Sally? With Medusa? Did Sally, with Medusa, and your stepfather-?”

Percy’s eyes glittered. His crooked smile was all the confirmation Frank needed. “Awesome,” he whispered, thinking of Sally Jackson.

The other demigods caught on quickly. Sally Jackson often told the story of how she sold The Poker Player.

Percy smiled brightly at his friends, forcing himself not to laugh at Jason and Frank’s make-up to get the uncomfortable attention off him.

Had someone told him when he was expelled from Yancy, or when he defeated Kronos, or even after he and Annabeth survived Tartarus, that he would one day have the courage to tell his friends about Gabe Ugliano, he would’ve told them to shove off.

Now? He realized there wasn’t anything his friends wouldn’t back him up in- even against his stony stepfather.

The door slammed open. The seven whipped their heads around to see Drew Tanaka and the rest of the Aphrodite cabin, frozen in shock.

Apparently they had a bad archery lesson, because even Drew, with her infamous, impeccable appearance, had mud on her neck and tears in her skirt. Her hair wasn’t as sleek as usual, and she was still panting.

She took one look at the seven most powerful demigods in the camp. Half of them were caked with make-up. The vanity table was a mess. Make-up pallets were left open, her favourite lip-gloss was on the floor.

Fury rose within her.

The seven were sure they had just unlocked the ancient wrath of Aphrodite.

_“Get OUT!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys thought! 
> 
> It's kind of crazy that I'm at the end of this story. It's been a ride and a half.


	16. Writing Prompts

If you're reading this, I hope you are well.

I obviously have a lot of time on my hands now that there's a global pandemic happening, and was wondering if anyone had any ideas they would like to see in written from. I would credit you, of course, but this dumbass has run out of ideas.

I just put out my rendition of Snow White and am in the middle of editing several chapters of Project Delta, but am experiencing a weird writer's block that comes from just having finished a long ass story. So, if anyone has any ideas from any fandom, please put them in the comments and I'll see what I can do. You'd be really helping this poor idiot to get back on track.

Thanks!

P.S: Hope everyone is safe and healthy.


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